The House of the Rising Sun
by Goddess Evie
Summary: Hmmm, how to summarize this. Well, if you're reading this, you better be in for the long haul, how about that? grins Okay, no, I guess just this is my own twisting and take on XMen.
1. Winds of Change or Listen as the wind bl...

Title:  _The House of the Rising Sun_, Prologue 1

Author: Goddess Evie

Date:  October 15, 2002

Genre:  Romance (Remy/Rogue, Scott/Jean, Lance/Kitty), Action, Drama, Angst, AU, heck, it's got it all…just not all in this chapter-prologue thingie.  ^_^

Rating: For this Prologue, it's only a G, and I really don't think this'll get above PG.

Disclaimer:  I do NOT own X-men of any incarnation.  I am but a poor, fanatical, poor, college student who much enjoys a show so that she writes extensive (and hopefully intriguing, enjoyable, and highly popular) fanfiction to feed her insatiable hunger for anything X-men.  The title of this fic, a Quote from a popular old song by the same name, does not belong to me (obviously) and I'd love to give credit where credit is due, but I have NO idea who sings it.  Still, it's not mine.  Also, the song lyric I use as the optional title for this prologue doesn't belong to me either.  I'm quoting the song "Possession" by Sarah McLachlan, my absolute favorite-est artist in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD!!!  But, sadly, I own nothing but the plot so don't sue me cause I can't even pay for college!  WAAAAH!  

Summary:  An excerpt from Xavier's journal detailing what's been going on in the lives of the X-men.

Author's Note:  Heheh, not a very big start for my very big fic (already at only three chapters and three prologues and just barely starting to get into the story it's over twenty thousand words, eheh.).  Think of this part as just a teaser, with more available immediately!  ~_^  But this thing is going to be huge, and I hope it's also enjoyable to read!  Like I previously stated, this thing has THREE count'em 3 prologues.  Why does a story need three prologues?  Well, because I needed to do some setting up before I actually started and I figured prologues are the best way to do that.  So, Xavier/the Institute, Remy and Rogue all have their own Prologues.  This one is Xavier's, and don't worry, I'm not going to give you just this one and leave you hanging for a while. I, personally, hate it when people just put up a short little snippet as the first chapter of their fic and then leave you hanging.  I'll put as much up as I can today!  Promise.  ^_^  So, here we go!

The House of the Rising Sun 

Prologue 1:  _The Winds of Change_ or _"Listen as the winds blow from across the Great Divide."_

Excerpt from Professor Charles Xavier's Journal

August 23, 2002

Today, as everyday is at the Mansion, was an interesting one.  Kurt was up to his usual antics.  Today he decided to give everyone a nice surprise by teleporting himself behind an unsuspecting student and teleporting both himself and his victim into the pool.  His practical joke was finally stopped when Ororo caught him laughing at all his wet peers by the poolside.  Fortunately there were no hard feelings, and Mr. Wagner will be properly punished for his stunt.  Perhaps another month with _Blackbird upkeep duty will remind him to keep his humor to himself._

Besides Kurt's pranks, however, the students are improving in leaps and bounds, as they have been the whole summer break, which they've spent training and working hard.  They are learning important lessons in teamwork as well, and old and new students are coming to trust each other more and more.  I am proud of them; we are all proud of them.  Ororo and Hank are guiding them well and I appreciate all they do for the students, the school and myself.  I do not think I could have done this without them.

The students will soon be returning to Bayville High School and their studies.  Scott leaves for college tomorrow.  The school year starts in a matter of days.  Of course Hank keeps their minds active throughout the summer, but he needs a break of his own, and I'm positive that Ororo, too, will enjoy a respite from having the students around twenty-four hours a day.

Magneto and his Brotherhood have been silent for the summer, thankfully.  Yet at the same time, this worries me.  If he is not here, where is he?  If he is not trying to destroy all that I have worked so hard to build, then what is he doing?  The calm has been nice, giving the students a time to relax and focus, but it has also set off warning bells in my head.  If Magneto has been absent for this long, who knows what he has been planning in his absence.

Logan and Rogue are both, also, still missing.  Logan hasn't contacted us once since he left to find Rogue.  I do wish he would update us with progress on his search for her.  Though I must admit that I fear his silence means he has not yet found our missing student.  I pray constantly for the safety of both, wherever they may be and that they will return to us soon.  I know the students miss both their presences and would be more than happy to have them back despite both of their anti-social natures.

Lately, it seems that whenever I let myself ponder over Rogue I begin to get the sense that something is happening, that something is coming that will change our lives drastically.  I can only hope that it is for the better and that, whatever the winds may bring, the students are prepared for it.


	2. Gambit's Fortune or I feel useless, but ...

Title:  _The House of the Rising Sun_, Prologue 2

Author: Goddess Evie

Date:  October 15, 2002

Genre:  Romance (Remy/Rogue, Scott/Jean, Lance/Kitty), Action, Drama, Angst, AU, heck, it's got it all…^_^

Rating: For this Prologue, it's only a G, and I really don't think this'll get above PG.

Summary:  Here's where we first meet Remy, at least in my fic, and how his fortune and future come into play.

Disclaimer:  I do NOT own X-men of any incarnation.  I am but a poor, fanatical, poor, college student who much enjoys a show so that she writes extensive (and hopefully intriguing, enjoyable, and highly popular) fanfiction to feed her insatiable hunger for anything X-men.  Also, the song lyric I use as the optional title doesn't belong to me either.  I'm quoting the song "Clint Eastwood" from the band Gorillas.  Listen to this group, they are FREAKIN' AWESOME!!!  But I own nothing but the plot so don't sue me cause I can't even pay for college!  WAAAAH!

Author's Note:  Well, as the Genre line says, this **is** an AU.  Although it's set primarily in the Evolution universe, I've definitely strayed from the Evolution storyline.  Although, I have to admit, that wasn't very hard for me since I've only seen like three episodes (ACK!! KITTY ATTACK! *giggles*).  For this story, though, I've done A LOT of research.  I've visited Evo web sites, comic web sites, the original X-Men cartoon show websites, but mostly Rogue and Remy sites.  Now, I have to give credit where credit is due, and the most helpful sites have been Gambit Guild ( http://www.geocities.com/BourbonStreet/2159/ )and Southern Comfort ( http://scroguefanclub.org/ ).  I suggest Rogue/Remy fans check them both out, especially the Gambit Guild.  But back to the story, I've taken all my X-men knowledge, combined it together, balled it up into a small dense sphere of mass, and came up with THIS!  I warn you that I've taken many liberties with my story.  So, on with the story, and please EXPECT it to deviate from many of the other traditional/cannon X-Men storylines.  Just a couple of notes, though, first.  I did my best with ALL the accents, so it they're not right on or if you find you can't understand them, I'm sorry. Also, when writing this story, I just randomly picked a name for the random friend that I had planned to tell Remy he needed to go see the Guild Father.  Later, while doing my intense research, I found out that I'd just happened to pick the same name as Remy's adopted brother/best-childhood-friend.  Heheh, I must just have X-Men, intuition.  Okay, NOW on with the story!  ^_^

Prologue 2:  _Gambit's Fortune_ or _"I feel useless, but not for long.  The future is coming on."_

New Orleans at the tail end of August was sweltering. The heat waves rising from the ground made everything look hazy and surreal.  Everywhere people were sparsely dressed, men with their shirts off and women in tank tops and short shorts.  Businessmen stuck in their stuffy suits sported sweat stains under their armpits; their sports jackets slung over one shoulder.

One young man, however, walked easily in the heat of the midday sun despite the ankle-length, brown trench coat he wore.  And underneath the trench coat he had on a pair of black jeans, the frayed ends covering a pair of black, steel-toed boots, and a black t-shirt that fit over his lean torso quite well.  His unshaven look gave him a kind of rough attractiveness that went well with his mass of brown hair, which fell into his eyes, red irises in a field of black.

People didn't like to look into Remy LeBeau's eyes.  Only the people who had known Remy for a long time, or who knew the real Remy, would meet his gaze.  Everyone else usually found some place else to look while they were speaking with him.  He remembered when it used to bother him-depress him even, but he'd gotten used to it.  And he'd found people who didn't let something as small as the color of his eyes hinder their view of him, especially since he had better traits to offer.

Remy LeBeau wasn't your average everyday teen-ager in more than one way.  To begin with, he was part of an underground guild in New Orleans.  A thief's guild to be more specific, a Mutant Thieves' Guild.  For Remy's other secret was that he was a mutant.  He didn't have any physical mutations, besides his eyes, to set him apart from the rest of the world.  But he did have an ability that he knew no else had.

For instance, the small pebble that he bounced in one fingerless gloved hand.  He smiled as he watched a woman stop by a trash receptacle on the corner of the street to finish an ice cream cone.  As he neared the woman and the trashcan he focused his energies on the pebble for a moment before tossing it casually into the can.  Just as he reached woman and wastebasket there was a small explosion that startled quite a few people in the immediate area and scared the wits out of the woman, causing her to drop her ice cream all over herself.

Remy took the opportunity to use the distraction to quickly pickpocket her wallet, slipping it into the deep pockets of his own trench coat as he crossed the street against the light.  Before the woman even knew the wallet was gone he would already have slipped into the anonymity of the crowd on the other side of the street.  The woman probably wouldn't even realize he'd ever been there.

Leaving the business district of the city with his spoils of the day-businessmen and women were such easy targets with their confidence and untouchable attitudes-he made his way into one of the poorer parts of New Orleans.  Here lived the people that continued to give New Orleans its mysterious reputation.  The voodoo witches, palm readers, fortunetellers, potion makers.  Everything and anything that had to do with magic could be found here for anyone who wanted to know what was in his future, find a potion to change some aspect of his life, or pick up a good luck charm to give his chance a boost.

This was also the part of town where the bar that members of all three gangs of the Mutant Thieves' Guild tended to frequent could be found.  It was a place of neutral ground where member's didn't worry about who belonged to which gang and anyone who tried to pick a fight found himself up against the whole bar no matter their alliance.  Remy figured maybe he'd catch Belladonna, his betrothed, there and persuade her to accompany him on a moonlit tryst later that night.  And if not, there'd be plenty of other fellow guild members to pal around with for an hour or two.  They'd be more than grateful if he used his spoils of the day to buy the house at least one round, and he had plenty of spoils to do that.

"Une moment, young'un."

The weak, shaky voice caught Remy off guard, and at first he didn't realize that it was he the old woman was addressing.  But she put a hand on his arm and forced him to stop and give her his attention, though she gave the appearance of a frail, senile old lady.

"What you wan', ol' woman?" Remy demanded, irritated at being interrupted in his quest for a nice, relaxing evening with some guild buddies.

"Yo' fortune be callin' out t'me t'be tol'," the ancient voodoo witch admitted to him.

"I ain't got time," Remy told her, trying to force his arm out of her grasp.

But the old witch only tightened her hold on Remy's arm, pulling him toward her shack where her fortune telling and voodoo magic shop was set up.  Despite her stooped stature and seemingly frail nature, the witch had a tighter grip on his arm than the jaws of an alligator.

"D'ere always be time, young gambit, for da future," the witch assured him as she set him down in a chair and then pulled one up for herself to sit across from him in, somehow without actually letting go of him.

"How did you…" but Remy let the question go.  Even he was smart enough to know not to tangle with supernatural forces when they revealed themselves.  "A'ight, witch, you got Remy's attention.  Now hurry up and say wha' y'got t'say.  Remy got places t'be," he ordered her.

Already the woman's eyes had rolled back into her head and her face lifted up toward the heavens.  Her hand was still locked on his upper arm in her death grip and she showed no signs of letting go anytime soon.  Finally, after what seemed to Remy like a great deal of time, the voodoo woman spoke, her voice now stronger, more forceful.

"I see a journey in your future."

Now this was beginning to sound formulaic.

"And a woman…to steal your heart away."

Extremely formulaic.

"Believe me, dat ain't in my future," Remy muttered under his breath as thoughts of Belladonna wandered across his mind.

"Yes, a journey, a woman…and a betrayal."

"Eh, anyone who betrays Remy is gonna find demselves regrettin' it," the Cajun promised.

That must have been all the old witch had to say because her eyes suddenly returned to normal and she finally released her hold on Remy.

"Da spirits have spoken.  Dat be all," as she said these words the old woman was already pushing him out of her small shop and on his way.

"Eh, what d'I owe da spirits for deir services?" Remy asked, half serious half joking.

The woman paused to look straight into his eyes when she answered him, and unlike most people who looked him in the eyes for the first time, she didn't turn away.  "Da spirits don' charge nothin' when dey seek out a soul person'ly."

And the next thing Remy knew the old voodoo witch had disappeared into her shop and he was walking down the street, once again set on his destination, and not really certain as to what had just happened to him.  And for that matter what _had_ just happened to him?

"Remy!"

He knew that voice.  Turning, Remy raised a hand in greeting to his closest friend and fellow Guild member, Henri.  Henri returned the greeting without slowing his pace.  Remy noticed that Henri seemed out of breath, nearly exhausted.  He must have been running for quite a while to be so worn out.

"Wha's wrong, mon ami?" Remy asked when Henri finally reached him, hoping he didn't bring news of a rumble with one of the rival gangs.

"I been lookin' for you ev'where, Remy.  The Guild Father's summoned you t'see him, tout de suite," Henri rushed out the message.

"Well, den, I guess Remy should be on his way.  Merci, Henri," Remy thanked his friend before heading off in the direction of the Guild House.

The Guild House was located in the historical district where all the old houses and sites of Historic New Orleans could be found and Remy spent the whole trip wondering why the Guild Father would want to see him.  Sure, his eventual marriage to Belladonna, one of the rival gang's leader's daughters, as an act of peace between the two gangs made him a semi-important member of the guild; however, the marriage was still at least a year off, if not more.  Remy was only seventeen, Belladonna not much younger.  Surely an event that was still quite a ways into the future wouldn't be cause for the Guild Father to want to see him in person.

And Remy couldn't think of any other reason the Guild Father would summon him for a face-to-face visit.  He hadn't done anything to rile any of the other gangs, or get himself into trouble, at least not recently.  The Cajun was seriously clueless as to the Guild Father's intentions.  He would just have to wait and find out when he arrived.

With his mind so full of speculations concerning his summoning to see the Guild Father, it seemed to Remy that he had reached the Guild House in no time.  He paused for a moment as he looked up the steps at the heavy, wooden, double doors carved with the insignia of the guild-a fox and a coyote, paws interlocked, with a raven flying overhead, talons reaching menacingly toward the rodents below, just touching their tangled paws-a riddle to anyone who didn't belong to the guild.  To the unknowing passerby it might seem that the fox, coyote and raven were fighting.  But in actuality, it was symbolic of the three founders, one animal to represent each, who had established the thieves' guild.

Remy belonged to the gang known unofficially as the Ravens and officially as The House of the Rising Sun, one of the three gangs that the animals were also used to symbolize.  Remy wasn't sure how the Guild had been split, but somewhere in it's history there had been a dividing and the three gangs had been the result.

But Remy was taking too much time.  He jogged up the steps and into the Guild House.  The eerie quiet of the inside was a sharp contrast to the rowdy New Orleans night that was just beginning to settle over the city outside, and Remy felt it.  He stood up straighter and walked with more dignity as he approached the woman reading a beauty magazine at the old fashioned desk in front of the entrance to the maze of halls that incorporated the house.

"Bonjour, chère," Remy greeted the woman with his most charming smile and seated himself on the edge of her desk.

"Don' be tryin' dat wit' me, Remy.  Especially when da Guild Father be waitin' for ya," the woman replied with a no non-sense look as she lowered her magazine to look at him, accompanied by a slight smile of her own to take the edge off.

"Well, who'm I ta keep da Guild Father waitin'," Remy replied glibly, detracting himself from his perch and gliding past the woman towards the honeycomb of hallways.

"Nobody, dat's who," the woman laughed back, swatting his backside with the magazine she'd been reading as he passed her.

Remy chuckled to himself as he entered the hallway behind the woman, letting his pace slow just a bit.  Although there were few times in his life that he'd been here, Remy did know the way to the Guild Father's suite.  That was something you made sure you knew after the first time you were brought to him, because after that there wasn't going to be anybody to show you the way.

After walking the halls for a while, turning left here, right there, passing doors, some of which had occupants behind them still, some of which were already empty as the people who owned them had already left to enact their own part in the dusky Louisiana night, Remy finally found himself standing in front of the door of the Guild Father.  There was no secretary; one merely knocked and waited for the Guild Father himself to allow you in.

Remy was never so scared as he was whenever he had to face the Guild Father.  The last time Remy LeBeau had been here was when the Guild Father had informed him that he had arranged a marriage for Remy with Belladonna.  It wasn't that the Guild Father was a frightening person; it was just that he had an impressive aura to him.  No one Remy had ever talked to could quite explain why the man was so awe inspiring, but at least he did know he wasn't the only one the Guild Father had the same effect on.

Gathering his courage-and trying to look like this was an everyday occurrence for him-Remy knocked on the door.  Immediately, the gruff voice of the Guild Father called for him to enter.  Remy opened the door with little hesitation and growing fear, and entered.  Closing the door behind himself, Remy turned toward the Guild Father sitting behind his grand desk and felt like he should snap to attention and salute.

"Remy LeBeau," the Guild Father acknowledged his presence and then addressed him again by his Guild name, "Gambit."

"Mon Pere," Remy replied with a bow of his head.

"You prob'bly wonderin' why I called you he'ya," the Father assumed.

"Oui, mon Pere," Remy confirmed.

"Well, the'ya's a favor I need t'ask o' you befo' you marry Bella."

A favor meaning that whatever the Guild Father asked, Remy would do.

"What d'ya need Gambit t'do, mon Pere?" Remy inquired dutifully.

"I been gettin' news from some o' my agents of the appearance of mutants up north of he'ya," the Father revealed to Remy.  "What I want o' you is to go up the'ya an' fin' ou' if dey be o' any harm t'us."

_I see a journey in your future._

"How d'ya wan' me t'do dat?" was Remy's next question.

"Unda'cova' infiltration," the Guild Father paused.  "I wan' you to become one'ah dem fo' awhile, Remy. Fin' out what dey be plannin' an if it be dan'grous t'da Guild."

Remy nodded.  "How soon d'ya want me t'leave?"

"Tout de suite," the Father said.

"Oui, mon Pere," Remy acknowledged.

"Charlene will give ya anymo' infah'mation y'need," that phrase had an air of finality to it and Remy turned to leave.

"Gambit," the Father's voice sounded once more just as Remy was opening the door.

Remy looked back over his shoulder at the Guild Father, his face expressionless.

"Bon chance, mon fils."

Remy smiled.  "Merci, mon Pere."

And with that he slipped out the door and into his new life.


	3. Rogue or One day I'll fly away

Title:  _The House of the Rising Sun_, Prologue 3

Author: Goddess Evie

Date:  October 15, 2002

Genre:  Romance (Remy/Rogue, Scott/Jean, Lance/Kitty), Action, Drama, Angst, AU, heck, it's got it all…just not all in this chapter-prologue thingie.  ^_^

Rating: For this Prologue, it's only a G, and I really don't think this'll get above PG.

Disclaimer:  I do NOT own X-men of any incarnation.  I am but a poor, fanatical, poor, college student who much enjoys a show so that she writes extensive (and hopefully intriguing, enjoyable, and highly popular) fanfiction to feed her insatiable hunger for anything X-men.  Also, the song lyric I use as the optional title doesn't belong to me either.  I'm quoting the song "One Day I'll Fly Away" from the wonderfully awesome move "Moulin Rouge".  Mmmm, Ewan McGregor, d*mn can that man SING!!! ^_^  But, sadly, I own nothing but the plot so don't sue me cause I can't even pay for college!  WAAAAH!

Summary:  An excerpt from Xavier's journal detailing what's been going on in the lives of the X-men.

Author's Note:  Finally, prologue three.  Next chapter is an ACTUAL chapter!  If this scene looks familiar, perhaps from the original X-Man cartoon, well, don't say I didn't warn you, unless you didn't read the author's note from the LAST prologue and well that' your own fault but you can still GO READ IT NOW!!  Once again, I did my best with accents and stuff, so I hope you can understand what the heck Rogue is saying, otherwise, you're on your own.  *smirk*  Enjoy!

Prologue 3:  _Rogue_ or _"One day I'll fly away…"_

Rogue stood in the shade of the lone tree facing the supposedly secret airstrip somewhere in Louisiana, she wasn't sure where exactly.  She wore a black cat suit that covered her from neck to toe, despite the lingering August heat.  Black gloves covered her hands where the cat suit couldn't reach.  In fact, the only skin not protected was her head.  Around her neck was a type of collar, an extremely fancy collar.  Rogue could just imagine the invisible leash that led from the electronic thing around her neck to Mystique's hand.  Absently she fingered it, wishing there were some way she could get rid if it, but she knew that if she tried to touch the small keypad to put in any kind of code to unlock the thing she'd receive an electric shock from it strong enough to knock her unconscious.  And unfortunately the mutant power she'd been "gifted" with hadn't been super human strength, so she couldn't just rip the thing off her neck.

The mutant power she actually had been gifted with was the reason she was so completely covered.  None of Mystique's lackeys', the Brotherhood, wanted to be touched by her, intentionally or accidentally.  Even the slightest rubbing of bare skin against bare skin would activate Rogue's power, causing her to steal life force, memories, even physical traits and yes, if the other person were a child of the atom, mutant abilities too.

But the collar kept her from doing that.  Somehow the thing knew when she even considered doing such a thing and would stun her to dispel such thoughts.  And if she ever actually tried to touch someone unprotected without express orders, the thing would knock her unconscious with a powerful electrical shock.  Mystique certainly had her trapped.

Underneath the leafy cover of the tree's branches, Rogue spotted a glint in the Louisiana sky followed by a smoke trail.  That was the cue, and she knew that if she failed the collar around her neck would give her a nasty zap.  She'd had enough of those as it was to keep her from doing anything more than wishing that she could disobey Mystique's orders.

"No, mess ups," Avalanche warned her.

Rogue ignored him.  He knew as well as she did the effectiveness of the electronic collar around her neck.  She sensed his presence as he came up to stand just behind her on her left side.

"You make one wrong move and…well, it would be unlucky if you were to be injured, or even worse **killed** in a tragic accident," Avalanche inferred, though he kept his tone of voice light.

"And what kahnd'a accident maht you be talkin' 'bout?" Rogue inquired challengingly.

"Well, if one of my earthquakes accidentally hit you…" Avalanche let his sentence trail off.

Rogue just laughed.  Although Avalanche was the unofficial leader of the Brotherhood, second to Mystique of course, and Quicksilver supposedly, they both knew that he didn't have the guts to actually do what he was threatening.  Still, he was threatening, and that was bad enough.

Avalanche stood where he was as she laughed for a second before he strode forward past her.  The glint in the sky had now become a full-fledged airplane.  More importantly it was a secret military airplane prototype that was making a pit stop here to refuel and get some readings taken.  It was an airplane that she and the Brotherhood had been assigned to steal.  It was actually a fairly easy task.  There would be three people to deal with: the pilot of the plane and the two men assigned to the small strip.  Since the place was supposed to be a secret the U.S. government hadn't seen any need to arm it.  That was just too bad for them.

Standing at the edge of the tree's shadow, Avalanche went down on one knee and placed his hand on the ground.  Rogue continued to stand where she had been the whole time, and she knew that the rest of the Brotherhood was standing somewhere behind her.  Quicksilver with his extreme speed and reflexes, the disgusting Toad who resembled the amphibian in more than just name, and the Blob, larger than life-literally.  This rag tag band of teenagers had been sent by Mystique to complete this mission, and still Rogue wondered if they could actually pull it off.

Mystique herself was waiting somewhere in the distance and Rogue felt her incessant presence in the small comm.-device she wore on one ear, as did the rest of the Brotherhood.  Their was even one big enough for Fred.  With these devices Mystique could have instant communication with them as she watched with her binoculars from over a mile away.  Their biggest function, however, was to give the signal to begin the mission and the retreat when the mission was completed satisfactorily.

The plane was now coming in for a landing.  Rogue watched as first the back wheels, then the front wheels hit the runway with a high pitched skidding sound.  The aircraft begin to slow, and finally came to a halt.  The two technicians exited the small building as the hatch for the pilot's seat opened and the pilot himself climbed out.

"Now," Mystique's voice was tiny in Rogue's ear, but the authority in it carried through just the same.

The ground in front of Avalanche began to shiver and shake, the waves spreading out in front of him headed straight for the three men who were just reaching each other about a hundred feet in front of the plane.  They didn't even know what had hit them when they suddenly found themselves sprawled on the ground.

Now it was Quicksilver's turn.  Faster than the eye could see he raced from his spot toward the unsuspecting men.  His job: to relieve them of the weapons they carried, three measly handguns.  They'd be gone before the men even realized anything out of the ordinary was happening to them.

It seemed like only a split second to Rogue before Pietro returned, holding three guns in his hand and wearing a grin on his face,  "Alright," he said, "Your turn."

Rogue looked over her shoulder at the Blob and Toad for a moment and then began to walk forward, taking long, confident strides.  She ignored Avalanche and Quicksilver's glares at her as she passed them.  Without having to look she knew that Blob and Toad were following her.  She tried to focus on the mission, but she couldn't stop herself from thinking that all she wanted was to get this over with and go back to the dump Mystique had them holed up in so that she could fall into a fitful sleep and dream that she was back at the Mansion.

The three mutants had traversed about half the distance from the tree to the airstrip when the three men finally spotted them.  Their first instinct, of course, was to reach for their guns, and weren't they surprised when they found the holsters empty.  Giving each other unsure looks, the three turned to face their guests as one.

"Stop and identify yourself," one of the technicians began while the second was saying, "Who are you?  You're not supposed to be here."

Neither Rogue, nor her companions said anything; they just continued to approach their opponents, focusing on the task at hand.  Rogue let Toad and the Blob pass her so that they could take out the three men before she did her part of the plan, and the two advanced eagerly.  As they got nearer, the three men took up fighting stances, ready to fight the intruders.

They really didn't have any idea what they were up against.  The pilot took a swing at the Blob once he was in range, and ended up with his fist sucked into the Blob's mass.  Blob's response was to laugh as if this was the single most hilarious thing he had ever seen, and then pick the pilot up in a massive, suffocating bear hug.  The pilot struggled and fought to free himself, but there was no way he could ever hope to break Blob's embrace.

Toad decided the best way to deal with the two technicians was with a long distance attack opposed to a close range melee.  He distracted and confused them by first hopping around them with the help of his powerful legs.  Then, when they had no idea what was going on, he spat his special slime at them, hitting them square in the faces and causing them to suffocate.  Rogue had a feeling that Mystique had given him explicit instructions to deal with his opponents in such a manner, because she certainly didn't trust in Toad's ability to come up with such a strategy on his own.

Now that any opposition was out of the way, it was Rogue's turn.  Walking up to the Blob, who still had the pilot in a bear hug, she carefully pulled the glove of her right hand off, finger by finger.  The man was still partially conscious when she placed her fingertips on his neck, but state of consciousness didn't affect Rogue's ability.  The only real requirement was that the person be alive.

There was the small shock of becoming one with her victim for a moment, and then Rogue released her contact and shook her head to clear her mind.  At first, random memories flew through her head, stirring up other memories she's absorbed from other people she'd touched, and she couldn't be sure which belonged to the everyone else and which were actually hers, or even who she was for that matter.  Once she began to get oriented inside her brain and substantiated her identity to herself, though, she could start sorting them all out.  For a moment, as she began sorting through the pilot's memories and knowledge, she was afraid she hadn't gotten what she needed and so would have to make contact a second time, but then she hit the jackpot and all the information required to fly the plane was at her mental fingertips.

"Are you ready, Rogue?"

That was Mystique again.  Rogue nodded, then realizing that Mystique wasn't around anywhere to see the gesture, answered verbally.  "Yeah, I got it."

"Good, then everybody else retreat.  Rogue can take it from here."

The Blob let the now completely unconscious pilot fall heavily to the ground and quickly, for his size and stature, exited the runway with Toad, both eager to obey Mystique's orders, and too afraid not to.  Rogue took a deep breath, then turned and walked briskly toward the plane.  She wasn't looking forward to flying it, but she knew that she had to or the consequences could be dire.

Rogue's hands were shaking; her whole being was shaking as she ascended the small ladder that led to the plane's cockpit.  Tentatively she swung first one leg, then the other inside and lowered herself into the pilot's seat.  Her gaze zooming around the control panel, she took a moment to let what was in her head apply itself to what was in front of her.  As if she'd been doing this her whole life, Rogue's hands began to start flicking switches and pushing buttons, though they still shook uncertainly.

This was the startup sequence, her brain told her.  She could feel the rumble of the engines as they fired up, sending the sense of immense power throughout the plane.  Her hands closed around the steering levers, clamping tightly to stop their shaking, and she pushed them forward.  The craft reacted accordingly, mimicking the action of the levers by moving it's whole self forward.

Rogue took a deep breath to settle herself, feeling more confident as her actions seemed to do what they were supposed to.  She taxied to the end of the runway, turned the plane around, and began to ready the plane and herself for take off.

"Rogue, you have company," Mystique's voice sounded urgently in her ear.

Immediately Rogue looked around, not sure what Mystique had meant by "company".  She obviously didn't look fast enough, however, because she was blind sided by a large mass that almost knocked her out of the plane, which Rogue swore could be nothing less than a semi-truck.  Forcing herself to recover quickly, she looked up just in time to see a masked woman in all black flying towards her.  Rogue tried to get out of her way, but the woman easily grabbed her, pulling her out of the aircraft and high up into the skies.

"Lemme go!" Rogue demanded, squirming around.

"Are you sure you want me to do that?" the woman asked her, sounding amused.

Rogue looked down at the ground, which was now at least a couple of hundred feet, if not more, below her and reconsidered her statement.

"Then put me down," she corrected herself.

"I don't think so.  You're coming with me," the woman informed her.

"Rogue, touch her," Mystique's voice was a whisper in her air.

She looked up at the woman unsurely.

"Do it, Rogue," Mystique's voice sounded eager.

Feeling the weight of the collar around her neck, Rogue reached up her bare hand to her attacker and grabbed the woman's unprotected arm.  The touch did its job and Rogue became one with the woman.

"Don't let go, Rogue," Mystique's distance voice came to her just as she was contemplating just that act.

As Ms. Marvel's/Carol Danvers memories, life force, knowledge and powers assaulted Rogue, she vaguely realized that they were falling towards the ground.  But that thought was swept away as she continued to sap Ms. Marvel of everything she was, everything she ever had been, everything she wanted to be.  Rogue got a glimpse of Carol Danvers' face, and it was a mask of horror.

The two hit the ground and tumbled a few feet.  Such an impact was enough to jar their grips from each other.  Rogue lay where she was as images ran through her head, all of them mixed up and incongruent.  She didn't know how long she lay there before she finally felt sane enough to sit up.  It was about that time that the Brotherhood decided to join her.

"Get up," Lance ordered with a sharp kick that sent the rest of her mind jarring back to reality.

"Owe!" Rogue objected, giving Lance a sharp glare.

"She's unconscious," Pietro informed from where he was leaning over Ms. Marvel.  He glanced at Rogue as he stood up.

"Get up," Lance ordered again, ready to kick her a second time.

"Alright," Rogue snapped back, assaying the blow.

She tried to stand, she really did, but her body seemed to have other ideas.  Her legs felt so shaky when she tried to support herself with them that she only fell down again.  A massive hand-it had to be Fred's-grabbing her by the arm and hauling her to her feet caused the world to spin, but it also supported her until she could stand on her own.

"So, what kind of powers did you absorb?" Todd asked eagerly.

"Ah don't care," Rogue yelled back.  "Ah don't care.  Ah don't want t'be a paht of this anymore.  Ah want…ah want to go home," Rogue felt the rage taking over her body.  She flailed herself about, to keep the others away from her.  Her hands reached up to the collar around her neck.  She would get it off no matter what it took.  Getting a good hold on the thing with each hand, she pulled with all her might and was just as surprised as everyone else when the thing broke apart in her hands.

Holding the pieces of what used to be the collar that had encircled her neck in her hands, Rogue looked around at the unbelievable faces of the Brotherhood.

"Ah…ah…ah…" she couldn't think of anything to say other than that.  Then realization hit and a slow smile spread across her face.  "Ah'm free," she whispered to herself.

With that knowledge secure in her mind, Rogue turned and ran.  The one thought in her mind was that she could finally go back to the mansion in Bayville where they didn't make her do anything she didn't want to, besides go to school and learn control of her powers.  And not everybody there hated or feared her.  In fact, she could even say that she had a few friends there: Kurt and Evan and she might just count Kitty if she were in a good mood.

"Stop her.  Don't let her go," Rogue realized that she was hearing Mystique's voice in her ear, and even more important than that, the "her" Mystique was referring to was none other than herself.

*No,* Rogue thought, as she rid herself of the communication device.  *I can't let them take me again.*

But already she felt the passing wind of Quicksilver running circles around her.

"Just leave me alone!" Rogue screamed as Quicksilver slowed his pace to run right next to her.  By the grin on his face she knew he was mocking her.  She tried to push him away, but his reflexes were too fast and he sped off only to reappear on her other side a few moments later.

Rogue closed her eyes.  She wished…she wished that they would all disappear.  Or that she could fly away from it all, soar up above the clouds where they couldn't reach her.

"Hey-hey!  Where are you going?" Quicksilver's voice sounded surprised and it startled Rogue into opening her eyes.

For a moment Rogue thought that maybe, somehow, she was dreaming when she found that she was floating above the ground and steadily getting higher.  Already, Pietro was at least a hundred feet below her.  But how?

Ms. Marvel's mutant abilities of course.  She'd flown with Rogue in tow.  Rogue should have known that from the get go.  She didn't know why she didn't think of it before.  Looking down on Pietro and the rest of the Brotherhood Rogue smiled to herself.

But the smile quickly faded when she realized that she couldn't just leave the defenseless Carol Danvers behind to this rabid pack of wolves.  She'd been taught better than that at the Mansion.  With her heart filled with guilt and even a little bit of fear, Rogue turned around and flew back toward the airstrip.  She tried to think of some plan of attack as she approached, but she figured the best way to handle this would be to just swoop in, scoop up Ms. Danvers and get away as fast as she could.

Coming up on the four-man group, Rogue watched the Brotherhood's faces following her every move.  Thank goodness none of them were telepath's like Jean or they'd surely have read her mind to find out what she was up to.  Since none of them were, the element of surprise was with her.  That and the fact that all four of the members of the Brotherhood seemed frozen with awe at what she was doing.

That was enough of an edge for her to fly down out of the sky, grab Ms. Marvel-thankfully it only took her that first try-and get out of there while the Brotherhood were still blinking their eyes at what she had done.  Filled with pride, Rogue didn't even take the time to look back as, finally, she flew away to safety and to freedom.


	4. I knew you wanted to tell me In your vo...

Title:  _The House of the Rising Sun_, Chapter 1

Author: Goddess Evie

Date:  October 15, 2002

Genre:  Romance (Remy/Rogue, Scott/Jean, Lance/Kitty), Action, Drama, Angst, AU, heck, it's got it all…just not all in this chapter-prologue thingie.  ^_^

Rating: G, and I really don't think this'll get above PG.

Disclaimer:  I do NOT own X-Men of any incarnation.  I am but a poor, fanatical, poor, college student who much enjoys a show so that she writes extensive (and hopefully intriguing, enjoyable, and highly popular) fanfiction to feed her insatiable hunger for anything X-Men and is poor, if I haven't mentioned that already.  Also, the song lyric I use as the optional title doesn't belong to me either.  I'm quoting the song "Path of Thorns (In the Terms of Endearment)" by Sarah McLachlan, my absolute favorite-est artist in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD!!!  But, sadly, I own nothing but the plot so don't sue me cause I can't even pay for college!  WAAAAH!

Summary:  Let's finally get into the real action.  A clip from the Institute, and who is  going where?  And *gasp* Remy and Rogue meet, and have a rumble with the Brotherhood.

Author's Note:  Well, here we go, hold on everybody.  Lot's happens in this chapter, and it's only the first one!  I promise it'll slow down after this, for the most part.  Although, that's probably the last thing you all want to happen.  Part of the reason it's so long is because I take a little time to do a run down of the Mutants at the Institute at present (Plus Scott) and that takes a little while.  But, hey, it's a chance for us all to get to know our lovable X-Men (not that we already didn't, right?).  Still, I make up for it, I hope, with the fight scene.  So, read on, faithful ficcer!

Chapter 1:  _"I knew you wanted to tell me.  In your voice there was something wrong."_  __

It was a fine day for traveling.  The sun was shining and the clouds in the sky were the white fluffy kind used for imagining shapes in.  There was a slight breeze that kept the August heat at bay and the smells of summer flowers permeated the air.  Scott Summers stood by the open trunk of his red sports car convertible as Kurt Wagner and Evan Daniels loaded his luggage into it in the spacious circular driveway in front of the mansion-esque School for the Gifted in Bayville, New York.

"Zhere, zhat jould do eet," Kurt smiled proudly as he stood back from the now full trunk and dusted his hands satisfactorily.

"You're all ready to go, Scott," Evan's grin was just as proud as he slammed the trunk closed.

"You guys seem a little eager to see me leave," Scott joked, putting on a grin to match theirs.

"Sure, it'll be a fight to see who gets your room," Evan teased back with a wink.

"Scott's room will stay just the way it is…for when he visits," Professor Xavier cut into the banter.

"Thanks Professor," Scott smiled at the school's founder.

"We will miss you, Scott," Charles tone turned sincere.

"I'm still not sure I should be leaving the school," Scott admitted.

"Go, Scott.  The school can handle itself without you for a while.  And you need to do this, for the school, and more importantly, for yourself," Xavier explained gently, even though he and Scott had already been through this same discussion at least half a dozen times.

"But who'll lead the team?" Scott continued to protest.

"There are others who need a chance to take charge for once.  You have led them well, Scott, but now it's time for you to hand the reigns over to someone else," Xavier reminded.

"Ja, like me!" Kurt interjected cheerily.

Scott laughed at the grin on his friend's face, then rubbed the back of his head as he looked around at the school and the students gathered to see him go, feeling sheepish.  Kurt and Evan, Kitty and Jubilee, Amara, Bobby even little Jaime.  And most importantly, Jean, who was standing just behind the Professor, silently giving him that smile of hers that he loved so much.

*The only one not here is Rogue,* the thought caused the guilt to start spreading, but he pushed it back with a vengeance.  Now was not the time for such things.  He'd have plenty of time to brood on the road.

"You guys take care of the Professor and Ororo and Hank," Scott raised his voice to address the mob of students.

His joke elicited a light chuckle from the crowd, and then everyone was lining up to say their last farewells to him before he was off.  Hugs, high five's and wishes of well being took up the next five minutes.  Hank and Ororo were there, even, reaching through the mob of students to impart some last minute words of wisdom to him.  Finally, the end of the line came.  It would just have to be Jean.

"Is this really goodbye?" she asked, a smile tugging at the corner of her beautiful mouth.

"Nah, I'll be back," he assured, grinning at her to hide the fact that he really wanted to cry.

"Good, cause I'd miss you too much if you didn't," with that she reached up and pulled him into a tight hug.

He held onto her for as long as she'd allow.  Then, finally, after she'd pulled away and slipped back into her place behind the Professor, Scott opened the driver side door and got in.  Evan and Kurt were there to close it for him, still wearing the same grins they had earlier.

"Why do I get the feeling that you two are up to something," Scott said, giving them a suspicious gaze.

"Uz, up to zomesing?" Kurt asked naively, putting on the innocent look.

"C'mon, Scott, this is your big day.  You don't think we'd do anything to ruin that, do ya?" Evan added, wearing an expression of mock personal offense.

Scott didn't reply, but he let the boys know how he felt with the look he gave them.  The boys stepped away as one and finally, with many cautions to "drive safely", Scott ignited the engine and took off.  Once he reached the gate, he keyed in the code to open it and, while waiting for it to do so, looked back over his shoulder at the place he was leaving.  Many of the students were waving to him, and he waved back obligingly.

But he really only had eyes for Jean, still standing right behind Xavier's wheel chair.  She wasn't waving like the others, but her gaze seemed to be intent on him.

Knowing he couldn't put the off the inevitable any longer, Scott turned forward again and pressed the gas.  Just as his car cleared the gates and they began to swing closed, he heard a voice in his head, so soft, so comforting.

"Good luck, Scott.  I'll miss you."

He didn't have to look to know who it was; not that looking would give any indication.  And he didn't miss the singular pronoun that she had used.  "I'll" not "we'll".  Making the message repeat itself in his mind in her voice, Scott started his journey happier than he thought he would.

It was in the early hours of the morning that Rogue finally spotted civilization, and by the amount of lights that sparkled in the twilight darkness, it was a very big civilization.  Shifting Ms. Marvel's weight, she thought at the as yet unconscious woman as if she were telepathic and her passenger could hear her.

*Almost there.  It won't be long now.*

Of course, the woman gave no response, and Rogue didn't expect one.  Still, she wished she would wake up, or show some sign that she was okay, or would be okay.  But the only movement Rogue had seen of her had been involuntary from when Rogue shifted her.  After the long hours of flying with her in tow, she was beginning to feel more and more like a dead weight.

Of course, that had been another thing on Rogue's mind.  Previously, the longest Rogue had ever possessed another's Mutant Abilities had been two hours at the max.  But it had to be at least eight hours since the incident at the plane, and still Rogue was flying as solidly as she had at the beginning.  Her above average strength had also remained and Rogue had to admit that though she did think of Carol as a dead weight, it was an extremely light dead weight.

When Rogue found herself finally flying over the city, the first thing she did was search diligently to find a hospital.  That proved to be not too difficult as she spotted a structure that, with many buildings clustered around it and a helicopter-landing pad atop the tallest one, could only be what she was looking for.  Allowing herself to fly lower to where she and Ms. Marvel were just barely skimming above rooftops as they headed for their set destination, Rogue breathed a sigh of relief.

With her mind racing through options, Rogue finally descended to the ground with her load.  She aimed for a copse of bushes that had taken over one corner of the largest building that helped to constitute the hospital.  Her landing was rough, she'd never had to land before, but not a total disaster and she did her best to keep her passenger safe.

Rogue took a moment to breath, check Danvers over and then scope out the surrounding area.  When she saw that no one was looking, she slipped out of the bushes and, although her attire was far from normal, tried to act as if she belonged.  It wasn't really that difficult in the early hours of morning when people were still scarce.  The most prominent figures tended to be medical staff, and though some of them gave her funny looks, most kept to their own business, or were too busy with their own agenda to give her any attention.  Ms. Marvel would be fine, she assured herself, lying on the ground in the cover of the bushes, until Rogue decided on a plan of action.

A plan came more quickly to Rogue than she expected when she turned the corner and found the entrance to the ER.  Wasting no time, Rogue quickly returned to where she had left Carol Danvers.  Gathering the woman up once again, she waited until the coast was clear then quickly made her way back to the ER entrance.  In one instant, Rogue decided the best way to handle the situation was to just leave the woman lying on the ground.  She felt a little guilty at not sticking around, but she knew she'd have trouble trying to explain what had happened.  And with all the medical staff bustling about, someone was sure to come upon Ms. Marvel in no time.

With one last apologetic glance to the woman, Rogue willed herself to walk away.

*Don't look back, * she goaded herself.  *Just keep going.  You've done all you can for her.  She's in good hands, now.*

Rogue turned her attentions to her now more immediate needs.  She was hungry and thirsty; she really could use some new clothes, something normal, perhaps.

"And mebbe Ah should find out where Ah am," she muttered to herself.

That last objective wasn't hard to accomplish.  As she walked through the city she saw plenty of signs advertising the fact that she was in New Orleans.  That helped to explain why her style of dress hadn't elicited more of a response than she thought it would.  These people probably saw weirder things than a girl wearing a cat suit.

Since Rogue really didn't have any idea of where to go or not to go, she just let herself wander around the city, making turns and taking roads as she pleased.  New Orleans was a big metropolis, but having lived near and frequently visited the big cities of the New England states with the X-men, Rogue was already used to big.  At the same time, having never been to New Orleans, she felt like a mouse in a hayfield, and at least a mouse had a sense of smell to guide it.  Rogue was acting on nothing more than a whim.

Passing out of the business district that the hospital was located in, Rogue found herself entering a shadier part of town.  She almost turned, to get away from it, but she decided to stick with it for some reason that she herself certainly couldn't put name to.  As she walked she couldn't help but stare at all the "supernatural shops" that were cleverly tucked in between grocery stores, gas stations and run down residencies.  They came in every shape, size and variety and could provide any and all customers with any magical item, potion or spell desired.  Or else give them a hint into their future.

*If ya go for that type o' thing,* Rogue thought to herself, rolling her eyes.

But hey, if these people wanted to make their living off of trickery and illusions, that was their business and good luck to them.  Rogue decided that she would leave the shops and their owners to themselves.  Especially when she noticed a small bar standing off by itself and suddenly felt so tired that she thought she could fall asleep on the sidewalk.  Figuring that maybe sitting for a while might help her, and realizing she didn't have many other options, Rogue entered the bar.

This early in the morning the bar was entirely empty except for the all day drunks that started their drinking when the bar opened and didn't stop until it closed or they ran out of money and had to go find a way to get some.  In this bar, strangely, there were none.  Only the bartender drying glasses with a white bar rag.  Taking a seat at the bar, she sighed as she slumped her arms on it and ran a hand through her hair.

"You look a lil' young t'be drinkin'," the bartender's voice startled Rogue.

"How much fah watah?" Rogue asked skeptically.

"Fah you, free," the bartender replied as if he didn't give many patrons free glasses of water.

He grabbed a glass from the shelf behind him, shoveled some crushed ice into it and filled it with water.  He took the time to look her up and down as he set the beverage in front of her, then went back to the glasses he had been drying before Rogue's arrival.

The cool liquid slid down her throat soothingly, calming the raging thirst she had developed while flying through the sky.  With at least two of her three needs fulfilled, Rogue allowed herself to relax and enjoy the glass of ice water the bartender had so graciously provided for her.

Remy had taken all night to pack his duffel bag for his long trip to New York.  When the Guild Father had said "north o' he'ya" he had certainly meant it.  Remy had to admit that before he'd looked through the portfolio that Charlene had given him detailing his assignment-which had ended up being in the files of a very nice laptop-he'd thought north of here would be a hundred miles at the most.  Still, if the Guild Father thought this group of Mutants that resided all the way up in New York was a possible threat, Remy didn't feel any need to question his judgment.

Clasping his duffel bag closed, Remy set up the laptop, turned it on, waited for it to finish loading and then pulled up the information on this mutant group.  Text files and pictures filled the computer screen, information that the spies had been able to pick up from the outside.  There were photos of the mutants' headquarters, from farther back to show the expansive gate that surrounded the huge mansion and it's extensive grounds-which included an Olympic sized pool, a variety of sports courts and several well groomed gardens-to up close shots of the main structure itself taken from between rungs in the heavy, metal fencing.  Remy admired the real estate, eager to get inside and check it out for himself.  It would be a nice change to the run down old shack he lived in now.

The files on the mansion gave as much information about the place as had been gathered.  Already having read through it once, Remy moved past it without going through the monotonous information again.  There wasn't much use in it anyways, not for now at least.  He'd go through it again when he got closer to his destination and actually needed to know the address and layout of the place and how and where to find it and what not.

After that came the bios of the actual mutants who lived there.  Some had pictures, some didn't, and some had more information than others.  For instance, there was only one adult Mutant who had actually been seen although others had been mentioned.  Those others included a Hank, a Beast, and a Professor, any three of which might be different names for the same mutant and none whose mutant abilities had been discovered since the informants hadn't yet spotted them.  That was part of Remy's job, to turn speculation into fact, which made it that much harder since most of the information in the portfolio was speculation.

The one adult Mutant was called Ororo, otherwise known as Storm.  Other than that, there wasn't much else known about her except that she seemed to be a much-respected guardian to all the younger mutant residents.  Without much else to look at on her bio, Remy scrolled on past them and went onto the younger members of the institute.

A majority of them were lumped into one long report that was extremely vague and general and accompanied with a plethora of pictures that Remy figured would be easier to put names to once he met the people in real life.  However, there were five of the junior members who each had a paragraph or two to themselves in addition to several pictures.

Scott-Cyclops-was the obvious leader of the group, rather than any of the adults.  He thought up plans and strategies, gave orders and everyone else followed them out.  His mutant power, the optic blasts that shot from his eyes, could only be controlled by special ruby lenses that he wore at all times in the form of either sunglasses, or, when acting as a member of the mutant team dubbed the X-men, a visor that he controlled with dials at either side.

Jean, that was the only name the informants had put down for her, seemed to be second in command.  He looked over the pictures or her twice: a tall, slender girl with beautiful red hair who wore a confident expression in every photo, whether attending a regular day of classes or in the middle of a fight.  She was listed as having mind powers: telekinesis and possibly some telepathy.  Remy hoped she didn't try reading his mind.  There was way too much in there he didn't want anybody knowing.

Kurt, a.k.a. Nightcrawler, from Germany, had almost made Remy fall over the first time he'd scrolled through the pictures of this young man.  In half the pictures Kurt had looked normal, skin, hair, limbs, but in the other half he'd been covered with blue fur, his legs were angled oddly from the knee down, his hands and feet were missing a few digits and he had a devil's tail.  Looking through the pictures again, Remy still couldn't believe that the two people were one and the same.  The report speculated that one of the mutant's powers was the ability to change his appearance between these two forms.  The only other noted mutant ability for this one was his gift for teleporting himself from one place to another instantaneously.

Moving on to the next mutant, Evan, or Spyke, was Ororo's nephew.  And with his dark skin contrasted by his light hair, he resembled her.  His mutant ability was listed as being able to shoot bone spikes from any part of his body.  Also mentioned was the fact that this tended to deplete the calcium supplies in Evan's body, forcing him to constantly replenish it.  In more than one picture the boy was holding or drinking milk.

Kitty, also known as ShadowKat, was the last noted Mutant.  Cocking his head from side to side as he looked at the pictures of her, Remy decided that, though she was pretty, he preferred the red headed Jean.  Miss Kitty had the ability to pass through solid objects at will as her mutant power.

*Well, dat would def'nitely make peekin' inta da girls locker room easy,* Remy thought to himself with a smile, then added as an afterthought, *Or, I guess in dis case, da boys.*

Closing down the program and shutting down the laptop, Remy looked around at his humble abode.  He couldn't say he'd miss it; he spent little enough time here as it was.  But he knew there were other things he would miss, other people.  Henri, the Guild Father, even as little as Remy saw him…Belladonna.

Packing the laptop in it's case and slipping it into the top of his duffel bag, he closed it once more and shouldered it as he let himself reminisce about the beautiful blonde he'd be leaving behind walking out the door of his small house for the last time in a long while.  He vaguely wondered if he perhaps he could find her before he left, but immediately struck that thought from his mind.  Finding her could take longer than he had, and her gang members would certainly be around, protecting her from the Raven scum she was to marry.  Not all of them were as excited about the marriage as himself and she were, but since they had as little say in it as the betrothed themselves did, there was nothing more they could do about it than grumble and give Remy a hard time.

However, Remy figured that he could stop in at the MTG's favorite bar one last time.  Nobody would be there this early in the day, but that was probably for the better.  Still, it was one place that did hold special memories for Remy, and he'd like one last look around before he departed.

Un-shouldering his duffel bag by the door, Remy bypassed the old tables and chairs placed at the edges of the room for the bar.  When the place was full Remy preferred to sit at the tables on the floor, but with it this empty the bar would suit him just fine.  That and the fact that the unfamiliar brunette sitting at the bar had grabbed his attention from the moment he had walked into the bar, especially since she was wearing a cat suit that already looked mighty good from the angle he was looking at her from.

"Remy," the bartender greeted him with a smile.  "What'll it be?"

"Nothin', mon ami, merci," the Cajun replied.

"Jus' he'ya t'say salut, then," the bartender guessed.

"Oui," Remy confirmed.  "I'm headin' up north o' here"

So, word was already getting around.

"You take care o' yo'self, Remy, ya hea'?" the bartender told him.  "I wanna see you sittin' at dis bar again."

"Dat make two o' us," Remy agreed.

With one last wink and a smile the bartender got back to the glasses he'd been drying.  Now, Remy could finally satiate his curiosity for the brunette-with white forelocks he now took notice of from his position-down the bar from him.

_And a woman…to steal your heart away._

Somehow she managed to look his direction at just the same time he was looking towards her.  Their eyes met, her's were so deeply green.  He couldn't pull his gaze away from them, and yet at the same time he still noticed the way her fingers curved so gracefully around the glass of water sitting on the bar in front of her, how her body looked covered in that skin tight black leather, how kissable her full red lips were, the way her hair, her cheek just begged to be touched.

She suddenly pulled back, breaking the spell, though not eye contact to Remy's relief.  Remy was surprised to find he'd gotten so close to her, not even an inch from touching a kiss to her lips. The fingers of his right hand were still caught up in her silky brown hair; his left had been ready to caress her cheek.

"It's not a good ah-dea t'touch me.  People who do end up gettin' hu't," her voice was soft and low, giving it a sultry effect.

He pulled his hand from her hair at that warning, though he was still caught up in her eyes and replied with, "I'd take dat risk t'touch you, ma belle chère."

He was surprised at the sound of his own voice, just as soft and low as her's had been.  He couldn't remember when he'd ever felt this way, not even with Belladonna.  It was as if his soul had found its missing half.

"Ah wouldn't want yah t'get hu't," she assured him.

Remy wasn't sure what she meant by that.  How could a simple touch be damaging?  If anything it would be completely euphoric.

"I'm not afraid o' gettin' hurt," Remy assured her.

"Yah don't know what it's lahke," she suddenly turned her eyes away and Remy felt lost without their depths to hold him.

"Tell me," he urged gently, sincerely.

"Yah wouldn't understand," she blew his question off.

"Remy unnerstan' a lot more than y't'ink," he insisted.

"Is that your name?  Remy?" she asked, changing the subject.

She turned back to look at him, meeting his gaze again just as surely as the first time, never flinching at how different his eyes were.  For Remy it was like a breath of fresh air and yet at the same time his breath caught in his throat.  If he could just look into those eyes forever, he wouldn't need anything else to live, except maybe to touch her.

"Remy LeBeau, at yo' service, ma trés belle chère," he bowed without losing eye contact.

She smiled and suddenly the room brightened.  "Rogue," she returned as he straightened and leaned against the bar, smiling back at her.  Usually with women he would give his most debonair and charming smile, but with her his smile was easy and genuine.  Nothing phony for her.  Remy found he didn't have to fake anything; she inspired his best by just being here with him.

"Rogue, what a mysterious an' intriguin' name," he told her.

"Mebbe that's what Ah wanna be," she replied, "Mysterious and intriguin'."

"Well, I t'ink ya' doin' a bon travail," Remy encouraged.

"Bon…travail?" she repeated his last phrase, butchering the pronunciation.

Remy chuckled.  "Bon travail," he repeated.  "It mean good job, in Cajun."

She nodded, impressed, perhaps even charmed, Remy hoped, by his dialect.  "An' yo' accent is from da South too, non?" he inquired.

"Mississippi," she confirmed freely, "but I moved t'New York a year or so ago."

"Den what you be doin' down here, and dressed so," Remy asked, keeping himself from adding an adverb at the end of his question.

"It's a long story."

Her words were almost drowned out by the door being slammed open. Both of them reacted with a start, turning quickly to see who had entered so violently.  Remy heard Rogue utter an "Oh no" under her breath just as the bartender began to take action against such foul treatment of his bar.

"What'chu boys wan'?" he asked gruffly.

"That's none of your business," the group's leader's retort was derisive and his stare was locked on Rogue.

Instinctually, Remy stepped in front of her.  He slid his hands into the pockets of his trench coat to make sure that his cards were there, two decks in each pocket.  He opened and removed a deck from its pack by feel, taking a few cards into each hand, just in case.

"Ansah' da question," he demanded.

"We don't have to," a big hulking boy replied and Remy couldn't help but think he never wanted to get trapped under that mass.

"Yeah," another of the boys speech was quick, as he too proved to be when suddenly he disappeared only to reappear right behind Rogue, an arm around her neck, his other hand holding her arm painfully behind her back.  "We'll just take what we want."

Remy spun around to face the fast talking young man who had Rogue in a bind.  But just as he did the floor began to shake and Remy backpedaled in attempt to keep his balance.  He wasn't sure if the earthquake was because of the fat guy walking toward himself and Rogue, or if somehow the leader, down on one knee with his hand pressed to the floor was responsible.  Whoever it was, Remy was soon on his backside, struggling to clear his head and get back to his feet.

Even in the confusion of it all he still managed to pull his hand from his pocket, half a dozen cards fanned in his fingers.  Charging them just enough to do their intended job, he took his aim by instinct and long practiced ease, and let the cards fly.  A couple of them flew towards the leader of the group, his last follower still standing at the ready behind him.  Another couple of them headed in Rogue's captor's direction hopefully close enough to knock him off his feet, but far away enough that they would do no harm to the damsel in distress.  The last two flew at the fat boy lumbering his way towards them.

Just as he expected, none of his targets took the cards seriously, thinking they weren't going to do any harm, especially since it looked like none of them had hit their intended targets.  This was exactly what Remy had been counting on.  He smirked to himself when each card exploded, startling each one of the boys.  The leader was shaken to the ground, his hand losing contact with the floor and the rumbling immediately stopped.  The quick one also lost his footing, and fell to the ground, avec Rogue, but he did lose his grasp on her and she immediately pushed away from him, shoving him back with formidable force so that he went sliding across the hard wood floor.

The last two, unfortunately, had little effect on chub boy, and after only a little hesitation he continued on past Remy and towards Rogue.  Remy tried to stop him by grabbing his ankle, hoping to trip him or at the least give Rogue some time to get away, but the Cajun was like toilet paper on the boy's shoe:  clinging stubbornly, but completely unnoticed.

Rogue turned to find chubby standing unexpectedly behind her with Remy holding fast to his ankle, but she reacted quickly with reflexes that had to have been trained.  Throwing an awkward and inexperienced punch, Remy was surprised to see Rogue's arm sink into chubby's mass up to her elbow.  That had to have been some blow, but it had little effect on her attacker.  Laughing his signature laugh, fatso grabbed the arm that was stuck in his belly and pulled it out, lifting her up by it.

With Rogue now in his firm hold, fatso finally looked down to acknowledge the pest stuck to his ankle.  The hulking brute of a boy picked up his foot and shook it a little, but as long as fatty had Rogue in his grip, struggling against it as she was, Remy refused to let go.

"Somebody get rid of him," fatty demanded of his comrades.

Out of the corner of his eye Remy caught a flying green object headed toward him.  With skilled reflexes he countered it by means of a charged card, the two meeting in mid-air causing bits of the green stuff to splatter everywhere.

"Hey, he's good," the last baddie, who resembled a swamp creature, commented.  "Let's see just how good, yo."

In quick succession, three more balls of the flying green substance were thrown at Remy.  And just as before, each met a charged card in mid-air, countering the strike, and just in time.  However, what the swamp thing didn't see and hadn't counted on was a fourth card, aimed in his direction.  It hit his chest at the moment of detonation, knocking him out of commission.

Remy felt a passing breeze, and when he next reached into his pocket to restock his empty hand, he realized that his ammunition of choice was missing.

"What da-" he exclaimed in surprise.

"No more card tricks for you," the fast lipped boy hooted at him, his laughter high pitched and quick.

"Shake him off, Blob.  Quicksilver, grab Toad and lets get out of here," the leader said as he picked himself up from the floor.

"Blob" picked up his foot again and shook it violently and this time, try as he might, Remy couldn't keep his hold on the large boy's ankle and he hit the floor with a thud.  By the time he had cleared his head and gotten halfway to his feet "Quicksilver" was waiting by the leader of the group with "Toad" in his arms and Blob was lumbering away with Rogue still struggling to free herself of the unwanted mass.

"Naw wait a minnit," the bartender, who had watched the whole scene go down quietly, suddenly spoke up, "I don t'ink da young lady wants t'go wit'chu."

The bartender's words had no effect on the boys, but his actions did for his arms reached out far beyond what any average human's arm span could and wrapped themselves around Blob's neck tightly enough to squeeze off the boy's air supply.  It stopped the fatso right in his tracks and surprised the wits out of the rest of the boys who could only stare in aghast at their comrade struggling for breath.  The previously unstoppable Blob had finally been brought back down to mortal standards.

But the Blob wasn't about to give up so easily.  His free hand came up to grab onto the bartender's arms in an attempt to free himself, and it wasn't a half bad attempt either.  Remy watched with shock as the boy did what he'd never seen anybody do in the entire time he'd known about the bartender's special abilities; the Blob was able to stretch the mutant's arms against his will.  Glancing at his friend, he saw the extreme concentration and exertion to keep his hold on the big boy on the older man's visage as sweat trickled down his face and matted his hair.

Remy knew he couldn't leave such a formidable task all up to the one man.  Grabbing the closest object he could find that would make at least a halfway decent projectile, he immediately charged it and threw it at the boy's feet.  The glass ashtray broke before it exploded, but neither half lost its charge and both exploded at the same time, causing fat's footing to become unsteady.  The bartender pulled with all his might and that was the final straw needed to take down the boy, who fell with a very loud noise, making chairs and even tables clatter and rumble with the force of the impact.  Rogue landed beside him, taking control of her fall and catching herself in a crouch.  Whoever had trained her had done their job well.  She'd fit right in with the Mutant Thieves' Guild.

But Remy had no time to be thinking of such things and his work still wasn't done.  Without hesitation he began to clear a path to the doorway, throwing cards right into the middle of the group of boys to persuade them to move out of his way.  He walked toward them as he did so and Rogue joined him as he passed her.  He had to fight the delirium he felt at having her body pressed so close to his as he flung cards left and right to keep the immediate area around them clear.

Once Quicksilver tried to grab Rogue, but she pulled her arm free of his grip and kicked him away.  Once again Remy was surprised with the force she was capable of as Quicksilver, also caught off guard by her strength, went reeling backwards until he lost his balance and fell back, his head hitting the edge of a table hard enough to knock him out.

It seemed forever before they were clear of the door; the leader's hate filled stare watching them the whole time.  Rogue stared right back, her own ethereal green eyes filled with as much loathing for the boy as he felt for her.  Finally, however, they cleared the door, and Remy grabbed Rogue's hand-her gloved one to his disappointment.  Oh how he would love to touch her skin-and ran, pulling her behind him.

Remy looked over his shoulder to see the leader of the group outside on one knee again, his hand pressed to the ground.  Remy flicked a charged card directly behind himself and his precious cargo and the card stuck in the ground by a corner.  The earth shaking the enemy group's leader was sending at them to knock them off balance was neutralized as the very ground it had been flowing through exploded.  And before he could send another shockwave at them, unbelievably long arms grabbed the boy around his torso, binding his arms to his side, and dragged him back inside.

"Is he gonna be ah'right by himself?" Rogue asked as they slipped between a couple of shops and out of sight of the bar.

"He be fine.  He won' be alone fo'long," Remy assured.  Already the Cajun had spied reinforcements from all three of the thieves' guild gangs converging on the bar to do what they could to help.  Whoever those boys were, they didn't stand a chance anymore.

Rogue nodded at his response and they ran on in silence, their hands locked together in a death grip.  Remy was surprised and quite pleased that she didn't pull her hand from his.  He'd thought she would have when she'd decided she didn't need to be dragged along by him anymore.  He was glad she didn't though; it was a comfort and joy to feel the weight of her hand in his and the secure hold she kept on his hand.

"Stop, Ah can't run anymo'," Rogue finally demanded, halting in her tracks.

With their hands still clasped together, Remy had no choice but to stop as his arm was almost yanked from his shoulder.  He felt like his world collapsed when she finally pulled her hand from his grip to lean on her thighs and catch her breath.  Despite that fact, however, Remy's first instinct was still to look around and determine their location: the midpoint of an alley in the business district.  He could see people and cars pass by the opening at either end, but nobody who paid them any attention.

Remy stood watching Rogue as she caught her breath, her chest rising and falling with each lungful of air.  He noticed she too was watching him, though he was sure he wasn't meant to know.  Finally she stood up and stretched, giving Remy a chance to admire her lithe form.  She was well proportioned, slim but very nicely endowed, with her stretching muscles accenting an athletic build.

"Remy?"

Her voice broke him of his reverie and he blushed at how deeply concentrated he had been.  He'd never remembered when a girl had ever made him blush.

"Pardon," he excused himself.

"You're a mutant, ain'cha?" she identified.

Remy nodded and responded with, "So're you."

She too nodded her confirmation, though spoke no words.

"What dem boys wan' wit' you?" he questioned her, unable to keep the concern out of his voice.

She just shook her head in answer.

"I jus' saved yer ass back dere," he reminded, and added in his own mind *An' whatta nice ass it is, too* even as he continued to say "I t'ink you coul' at leas' be grateful enough t'give me an explanation."

She sighed.  "Ah'm sorry, Ah really don't have tahme.  Ah gotta get goin'."

As much as he wanted to do otherwise Remy decided to just let the argument drop.  Instead he asked her, "Don' I gitta merci even?"  He couldn't help the mischievous grin spreading across his lips.

She chuckled at this comment of his, the corners of her mouth tugging up in her own smile.  For Remy, that was thanks enough.

Stepping forward toward him, she reached to kiss his cheek.  At least, that's what Remy thought she was doing, but her lips never touched.  Instead they wavered a mere millimeter from his face and he felt her breath blow across his skin.  His eyes widened in surprise at such an unexpected response.  She stepped back, still smiling at him and he opened his mouth to ask her what that had been all about.

"Thank you," she said to him before she turned, took a step and then, to the Cajun's amazement, lifted into the air.

He stared at her quickly disappearing form as she rose into the Louisiana sky above the tops of the buildings and then flew away.  He realized that he'd lifted his hand to his cheek where she'd blown her breath on him and he let it drop back to his side.  Finally he forced himself to turn and walk away, but he couldn't force her out of his mind.

"May we meet again, ma belle chère," he whispered softly as he left.

It was far past time for him to be heading out on his own journey.  It was a quick stop back at the bar to make sure everything was under control and to grab his duffel bag.  The group of mutants that had attacked were nowhere to be seen and the bartender assured Remy that no extensive damage had been done then bid him "Bon Chance" and the young Cajun was on his way.

Except that on the way out he met up with Belladonna.  She smiled instantly upon seeing him, and he smiled back of course.  Except somehow he couldn't make it as eager as he used to.

"I wish ya didn't have t'go, Remy," she breathed as she leaned in close to him.

"I know Bella, but I can' go agains' da Guild Father's wishes," he reminded her.

"Well don't be gone too long.  I'll miss you so much," she embellished with a pout, squeezing him tight and kissing his cheek.

The cheek opposite from the one that Rogue had breathed on, Remy noted.  He hugged her back pressing a kiss into her hair.

"I be back befo' y'know it," he assured her.

"You better be," she said stepping back from him so that he could be on his way.

He smiled and bowed for her, feeling now that he was doing it more out of duty than anything else.  And then, his duffel bag slung over his shoulder, he walked away, leaving the bar, New Orleans and Louisiana behind him.


	5. A breath between us could be miles

Title:  _The House of the Rising Sun_, Chapter 2

Author: Goddess Evie

Date:  October 15, 2002

Genre:  Romance (Remy/Rogue, Scott/Jean, Lance/Kitty), Action, Drama, Angst, AU, heck, it's got it all…just not all in this chapter-prologue thingie.  ^_^

Rating: G, and I really don't think this'll get above PG.

Disclaimer:  I do NOT own X-Men of any incarnation.  I am but a poor, fanatical, poor, college student who much enjoys a show so that she writes extensive (and hopefully intriguing, enjoyable, and highly popular) fanfiction to feed her insatiable hunger for anything X-Men and is poor, if I haven't mentioned that already.  Also, the song lyric I use as the optional title doesn't belong to me either.  I'm quoting the song "I Love You" by Sarah McLachlan, my absolute favorite-est artist in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD!!!  Which is why you shouldn't be surprised when you see so many of her song lyrics as Chapter titles, though I AM trying to throw some variety in there, I swear!  But, sadly, I own nothing but the plot so don't sue me cause I can't even pay for college!  WAAAAH!

Summary:  And moving on, everyone is heading towards one place, though they don't realize they're destination is more or less the same.  Evil Mystique and Lance attempting to stick up to her.  The reminiscing of both Rogue and Remy about each other.  Logan's first appearance.  And Scott's guilt and how Rogue ended up in the clutches of the Brotherhood in the first place.

Author's Note:  Hmmmm, lotsa angst, thanks to Scott.  I'm not a big fan of ANY version of Scott/Cyclops, but I want to be as complete as I can with this fic, so I AM including Scott/Jean HR.  Also, having Scott feel self-guilt gives me a chance for some internal conflict, and that's always a good thing.  Plus, we get to see if Evan and Kurt really WERE up to something when they were grinning so much at Scott's farewell.  Mweheh, ENJOY!!

Chapter 2:  _"A breath between us could be miles…"_

The members of the Brotherhood of Mutants wilted under the intense stare of Mystique beneath the stars of the Louisiana night sky.  The woman's yellow-eyed gaze was sufficient to make anybody unlucky enough to be its center of attention curl up, shaking, into the fetal position.  Not a one of the boys could meet her eyes directly, each one of them quickly averting their glances when she turned her stare on one of them.

"How could you let her get away _again_?" Mystique asked through gritted teeth.

"She…she had some help," Lance hesitantly answered.

"Yeah, there were these two guys, yo-" Todd jumped in before he was cut off by Mystique.

"**Two** guys!  There were only **Two**!!  How could you out number them and still lose!  This is worse than your rumbles with the X-men!" she paced angrily in front of them, gesturing violently with her arms.  Only Pietro's quick reflexes kept him from getting smacked by one of her flailing limbs.

"You weren't there Mystique," Lance tried to stand up for himself and his companions.

"And it's too bad I wasn't or else things would have gone right!" she shot back before Lance could voice his arguments.

 "Sorry, Mystique," was Fred's contribution, which only succeeded in gaining him a ferocious glare from the shape shifter that sent the behemoth backing away from the woman a step or two. 

"Well maybe if we got training like the X-men," Lance muttered defiantly.

"If you want to be like the X-men then go join them!" Mystique snarled at Lance, putting her face up close to his for emphasis.

"Yeah, and then you can be closer to Kitty," Pietro commented snidely, eliciting snickers from Todd and Fred, an angry blush from Lance and a growl from Mystique that had the same effect on the foursome as a drill Sergeant's "Ten _Hut_" would have on a bunch of greenies at a boot camp.

Mystique paced for a few moments in the thick silence of the boy's wary stares.  Finally she rounded on them to give them their orders.

"Head back to Bayville," she told them.  "You'll have to start school again in a couple of weeks anyways.  And Fred, make sure you pass the ninth grade this time."  Mystique's last comment dripped with sarcasm.

"How are we supposed to get there, yo?" Todd asked.

" I don't know!" Mystique snapped at him.

"You can't just leave us out here on our own, like this," Lance objected incredulously, taking a step toward their commander.

Mystique faced the boy with anger making her eyes seem to throb.  But then she backed down, nodding.  "You're right," she conceded.

Suddenly turning around she headed to the vehicle that was waiting for her a hundred yards or so away.  The boys waited in uneasy silence as she dug around in it and then finally returned to grace their presence.

Here," she shoved her fist at Lance who took a defensive step back.

He eyed the fist she held out toward him, and she silently yet forcefully gestured at him to take it.  Tentatively he slid his hand palm up under hers, afraid of some kind of trick from the shape shifter.  Immediately she opened her fist, depositing a wad of bills into his hand.  Lance nodded as he closed his fingers tightly around the money and held it fast to his side.

"Now get out of my sight," she ordered before returning to her cruiser and speeding off.

"How much did she leave us with?"  Todd inquired.

"Fifty bucks if we're lucky," Pietro commented with as much sarcasm as Mystique had earlier used.

"Two hundred dollars," Lance said, quite impressed as he counted the bills in his hand.

"Anybody else got any money?" Fred asked.

At first the question seemed dimwitted, but then the boys began to check the pockets of their civvies.  Lance turned up the most with a twenty from his back pocket.  Pietro had fifteen and some change.  Surprisingly Fred had a fiver and even Todd contributed some small change, not even a dollar, but at least it was something.  The total came out to two hundred forty one and twenty-six cents.  Folding up the coins in the middle of the bills, Lance shoved the whole thing into one of the front pockets of his jeans.  Immediately the others yelled out in objection.

"What are you doing with my money?"  Pietro wanted to know.

"We're going to need all we can get if we want to see Bayville anytime soon," Lance explained, loudly exhaling in frustration.  "For now everyone's going to have to share.  When we get back home you guys can go back to your selfish ways."

The three team members eyed Lance and each other, but all of them finally agreed.  Letting out a relieved sigh, Lance turned towards the town they had passed through on their way to rendezvous with Mystique and began walking in that direction.  His three comrades soon joined him, Pietro keeping his pace with the others for once instead of zipping around.

"I think I remember passing a bus station on our way through," Lance mumbled to himself wondering if they had enough for tickets.

"I'm hungry," Fred called out.

His comment was ignored as the boys settled in for a long, _long_ journey back to New York.

All of Logan's hard work and tracking had finally led him to some substantial evidence, more specifically an isolated airstrip out in the middle of nowhere of Louisiana.  It wasn't an abandoned airstrip; it looked too well kept for that.  But he figured it probably wasn't on any maps, at least not public ones, and that nobody without proper authorization was supposed to know about it.  Logan hated secret military bases.

That didn't answer his question though: What was Rogue's scent doing all over it?  He'd picked it up on the road a couple of miles back and had followed it here.  Unfortunately, it hadn't been only hers that he'd smelled.  There were traces of the Brotherhood of Mutant's scents also, strong ones.  He'd thought perhaps that back at the road he might have smelled Mystique also, but he couldn't find any trace of it here so he wasn't sure.

But the Brotherhood only mattered if Logan ran into them, and he could take care of them all single-handed.  For now he needed to concentrate on Rogue's scent before it faded too much for him to pick it up.  For a moment he thought he'd lost the smell that was unique to her, but then he picked it up again lingering on the field on the other side of the runway.  There were more scents of the Brotherhood, and even an unfamiliar one that he couldn't identify.  He hoped that didn't mean trouble.

The setting sun glinted off something in the grass and Logan leaned over to pick it up.  What he found himself holding looked to be some sort of communication device; the kind that fit into the ear with a mini microphone that reached to the mouth so that it left the hands free for whatever important job they were supposed to be doing.  Holding it up to the side of his face he listened to it before attempting to speak into it.  Perhaps someone was still on the other end and could give him some answers.  But the device was silent and Logan growled softly in frustration.  Still, he pocketed the thing before he began sniffing around again, literally.

Rogue's scent went out for quite aways, followed by one of the Brotherhood member's.  If memory served it was the scent of the annoying speedy one.  Of course, they were all annoying, but that was beside the point.  And then suddenly, it was gone, vanished.  No matter how deep of a breath he took in, Logan could not detect even the smallest amount of Rogue's scent.  It was as if she had flown away.

"Which is impossible," Logan reminded himself under his breath.

He stood gazing in the direction Rogue's scent had left him facing.  Racking his brains to remember what lay in that direction, Logan was pretty sure New Orleans was about a twelve-hour drive away.

"Well, it's as good a place as any to look," he sighed as he turned around and headed back to the street where he'd left his truck.

Rogue couldn't get Remy LeBeau's face out of her head.  Whether her eyes were open or closed she could still see the easy grin, his unusual but strangely attractive eyes, his messy hair falling into those eyes.  She also refused to admit the obvious.

*Ah am _not_ fallin' fah'im,* she thought fiercely even as her heart fluttered again at the image even such a small reference to him conjured.

"This is not possible!" she yelled into the night sky.  "Ah am not getting twittahpated over a guy that Ah met and knew for twenty minutes."

But what she herself would not admit her heart was embracing with so much eagerness that Rogue couldn't stop his image from forming in her mind.  Nor could she prevent herself from hoping that perhaps she'd see him again, or from imagining what it would feel like to be held in his arms, staring up into his admiration filled eyes, his loving smile, or even keep herself from daring to dream of what it might be like to be touched with a kiss from his lips.

"Ya're stahtin' t'sound like Kitty gushin' about her latest crush," Rogue scolded herself with a growl as she flew through the now darkening sky.

Briefly she debated finding a place to bunk down for the night before the thought was pushed aside by the daydream that she'd be plenty warm in Remy's strong embrace.  She was actually smiling at the idea before she remembered that she wasn't head over heels for the Cajun despite the yearning feeling in her heart and the way she swore there was a sense of something tugging inside her, like some part of her was connected to Remy LeBeau.

*Your soul, perhaps,* the thought crossed her mind before she could stop it and she immediately disregarded it and anything it might imply.

*Of course, you could never pursue a serious relationship with him.  Not with the kind of mutant powers you've been cursed with,* her mind threw at her next and nothing could stop the deep hurt it caused.

"Stop it," she told herself firmly and forced herself to concentrate on other things.

Like being back at the Institute with Kurt, Logan, Hank, Xavier.  She wondered if they missed her, if they'd kept a place for her.  She couldn't think of anything that felt closest to being an actual home to her, complete with a family and everything.  She'd even be glad to hear Kitty use four "likes" in one sentence and to be the target of one of Kurt's practical jokes.

*If only they'll take me back,* her next despairing thought reminded her.

She wondered what they had thought of her sudden disappearance.  Did they suspect the truth, that Mystique and the Brotherhood had kidnapped her?  Or did they think she had run away on her own, glad to be rid of the Institute and all those within.  She knew she hadn't given off very friendly vibes, but if only they understood what it was like to be her.  Sure, Kurt was covered in blue fur and had some other physical differences, but at least he could hide it for the most part and people weren't afraid of touching him once they got used to his appearance.  In fact, some people even rather enjoyed it, like little Jaime who loved to snuggle up to Kurt's soft coat.  And Cyclops had deadly lasers that shot from his eyes, but with the special glasses he wore he had them under control and could do most anything as long as he made sure they didn't come off.

None of them had any idea what it was like not being able to touch anyone; to go through life not being able to hold anybody's hand, caress somebody's cheek or even receive a kiss.

*A kiss from Remy, for instance…* there went her thoughts again, thinking things they weren't supposed to.  She had a feeling more were coming on, too.  *Well of course.  Wouldn't want to disappoint you.  Besides, don't you wonder what it would be like if Remy were an X-man?*

But Rogue had no time for wondering, even about Remy.  Her mind was suddenly inundated with unbidden images and memories.  A chaotic mix of her memories and Carol Danvers' memories and Cody's and the memories of everybody she'd ever come in close physical contact with since her Mutant ability had revealed itself vied for space in her brain.  She didn't know how to describe it, except that they all seemed to be battling for control and what was worse was that she thought that perhaps she was losing.

She had a moment to conceive the idea that she was no longer flying, but falling.  And then those insane memories were back for a long moment before everything went dark.

Scott had to admit, as he looked around himself, that the Professor had set him up with some pretty decent living conditions.  He had the dorm room all to himself, which was probably for the best.  It wouldn't do to have his roommate finding out about his Homo-superior status.  Besides, Scott was used to having his own room.  He'd dreaded having to share one, especially with all the dorm room horror stories he'd been hearing all summer from everybody who had an older sibling in college.  It had been a relief to find that he'd have the space all to himself.

He was mostly moved in now; just a last few small boxes to unpack, including a mysterious one that could only be the work of Kurt and Evan.  Caution told him to investigate that one last, and he wasn't about to argue with caution.  So first he unpacked a box solely of food that Ororo had put together for him.  "Every college student's necessities," she had told him with a smile when she'd handed it to him.  It was filled with all sorts of goodies including ramen noodles and cups, different assortments of junk foods, powdered cocoa, cider and coffee mixes; the list went on and on.  Scott thanked whatever higher beings there might be for Ororo's insight.

The only other box that Scott had to unpack was the one that held the things he'd brought to personalize his room and make it seem more like home.  He hung up the small dry erase board, complete with marker, on the outside of his door for people to leave notes on.  Up and down the hall the majority of the other students, shared rooms or not, had done the same thing.  Some even had messages already.  After that came his alarm clock, the only one he'd ever found that could wake him up in the mornings, various photos that he thumb tacked to the bulletin board that was standard in every room, a few extra school supplies, a desk lamp, his favorite books, and last but certainly not least, a framed picture of Jean.

He paused to admire the photo.  It had been a spontaneous snapshot; she wasn't posing or anything.  In fact, she wasn't even looking directly at the camera.  Someone, Evan to be exact, had seen Jean daydreaming and decided it was perfect for an impromptu picture.  So he'd snapped the camera and when he'd gotten the film developed, this is what the final result had turned out to be.  Scott had been ecstatic when Evan had presented it to him.  Well, ecstatic and a little embarrassed.  It seemed everyone at the Institute knew about the enormous crush he had for the red headed Mutant; everybody, that is, except for Jean herself.

*But she's got Duncan, so it's better that way,* he reminded himself as he set the picture on his bedside table.

With one last sigh he reached for the last box: Evan and Kurt's surprise.  He opened it with caution, and was completely relieved when nothing came jumping out at him.  Pulling away the tissue paper that was crushed on top he discovered an envelope bearing his name and a good luck card inside that the two had gotten everyone to sign.  As soon as he finished reading, that went up on the side table with Jean and then it was back to the box.  The next few items that he pulled out were gag gifts.  The boys had thrown in a can of silly string, a mini Nerf football, some googlie eye glasses and last and, in this case, definitely least, a whoopee cushion.  He chuckled at the array of items now assembled on his desk.  For a moment he considered stuffing them in a random drawer, but then, acting on impulse, he decided to leave them out, except for the silly string, which might make a nice surprise for some unexpected dormer.

"A conversation starter," he reasoned to himself as he checked the box one last time.

Removing more crumpled tissue paper revealed another framed picture, though this one was much larger than Jean's.  It must have been taken only a few days before he'd left and developed in a hurry.  "So you won't miss us too much," a message scribbled on a post-it-note was stuck to the frame that encircled a group picture of all the students and teachers of the school, including Professor Xavier and even Hank McCoy just visible in the very back if you looked hard enough.

It was a pleasant surprise and Scott made a mental note to thank the boys when he next got the opportunity to speak with them.  He had to wonder how the two had gathered everyone together long enough to get the picture.  Only two people were missing, not including himself, but individual pictures had been stuck in the corner of the frame to make sure they were still included.  Scott deduced that Kurt and Evan must have used a timed camera because both boys lounged on the ground right in front with the cheesiest grins on their faces.

One of the added photos was of Logan, the other of Rogue, both impromptu snapshots like the one of Jean, and both cut out from larger pictures to fit inside the frame without overlapping each other and the main photo.  Logan's picture was slightly fuzzy, at a bad angle and as usual the gruff man was scowling.  It looked like whoever was holding the camera was about to get a taste of Logan's temper.  Right now, who knew where Logan was, except out there somewhere searching for Rogue with no contact and no news since he had left shortly after Rogue's disappearance.

The other picture, the one of Rogue, was very flattering to the girl who usually hid herself behind gothic clothing, heavy eye make-up, a constant frown and a sullen disposition.  She had been caught at a time when, though she wasn't smiling, she wasn't frowning either.  By the light that illuminated her face, Scott could tell that she was sitting by a window, staring out of it.  The rays of sun caught the green eye that was visible in the picture, making it glow like a many faceted emerald.  Her expression was the closest to peaceful that Scott had ever seen on Rogue's face.  It had been an excellent choice.

Scott set the frame up beside the card and the photo of Jean before holding his head in his hands and trying his hardest not to think about that day…that day she'd disappeared.  It had haunted him his whole summer, and nobody but Jean and the Professor knew he had continued to feel guilt for her disappearance for so long.  Unbidden, unwanted, the memories he had tried to hold at bay since he'd left the Institute came, reminding him of that day she had disappeared and all the mystery with it.

It had been only a week after the end of the school year.  Every student at the institute had been enjoying their summer vacation intermingled with training in the Danger Room.  The Brotherhood had been blissfully quiet, but of course that couldn't last.

The alarm came: trouble at a junkyard on the outskirts of Bayville.  Of course it was the Brotherhood and this time they even had Mystique with them.  The team was dispatched, Cyclops leading, but with Storm and Wolverine along as chaperones to take over if things got rough.

They first encountered the Brotherhood in a clearing in the junkyard and both teams stood silently facing each other.  Cyclops was waiting for the Brotherhood to move first.  Avalanche smiled and then suddenly dropped to his knees and sent shockwaves through the ground to distract the X-Men while they scattered.

"Split up and search!" Cyclops ordered.  "Everyone into groups of two and then search the place."

He didn't remember who had buddied-up with who, except that he'd ended up with Rogue.

"Keep a sharp look out," he told her.

"Ah know!" she had growled back.

Cautiously, every sense alert, they had wandered through the junkyard trying to stay as quiet as possible so as not to alert their opponents, jumping at the smallest noise.

"This is getting us nowhere," Cyclops whispered.

"They gotta be around here somewhere…unless this is just a trap," Rogue suggested.

They looked at each other, their eyes wide with fear.  What if that was what this really was.  Lure the X-Men into the junkyard, then vacate and trap them or destroy them somehow.

"Duck!" Cyclops suddenly yelled as his hand went to his visor.

Rogue followed orders and Cyclops let fly an optic blast that disintegrated one of Toad's saliva globs mid-air.  Immediately Cyclops changed his aim to where Toad was crouched on top of a mound of scrap metal and let another optic blast loose on the mutant.  Toad jumped at the last minute, the blast sending debris flying.  Following Toad with his visor, Cyclops kept shooting optic blasts at the Brotherhood mutant, trying to take him down.

Cyclops was pretty much tied up in trying to shut Toad down, but he did notice as Rogue scuffled out of the way, keeping herself in a low, protective crouch.  He remembered to always keep an eye on her location so that he didn't accidentally put her between his optic blasts and the true target.

ShadowKat's voice came from the direction in which Rogue was still crouched.  Something about Nightcrawler being in trouble and needing their help.  Rogue followed quickly, leaving Cyclops alone to deal with the thing from the black lagoon.  Unfortunately, Toad kept hopping away just before the blasts reached him.  He never stayed long enough in once place for Cyclops to get a fix and take a shot at him.  The enemy mutant also liked to spit a glob of his sticky secretion at Cyclops every so often just to keep him on his toes.  Cyclops had to admit it was an effective strategy.

"Hey, yo, it's been fun, but I gotta jet," Toad suddenly said before shooting one last glob at Cyclops and then exiting the immediate area.

Cyclops dealt with the glob quickly, then headed off in a run after Toad.  He searched everywhere for the disgusting little pest, but couldn't find him.  Finally, standing once again in the clearing where he and the rest of the X-men had first encountered the Brotherhood, he paused to catch his breath and take a look around.  In the distance he could hear the sounds of scuttles as Brotherhood and X-men met and clashed.  Focusing on the sounds, he tried to pinpoint one so that he could join and help them.

But they came to him before he could discern any of their positions.  Soon, the whole of the X-men team was standing in the clearing with members of the Brotherhood surrounding them, standing atop piles of junk and scrap metal; the Blob had somehow mounted himself atop an old semi-truck.  Each Brotherhood member sneered down at their opponents, looking as if they had already won.

"Thanks for the fun, X-dummies," Lance mocked.  "But we gotta go.  It was nice knowing ya."

And with that they were all gone, scrambling down the back of their junk piles and out of the junkyard.

"Follow them," Cyclops ordered immediately.

But Wolverine had other ideas.  "No, I smell something burning.  **Everyone out**!"

There was no hesitation as they all began to run.  Nightcrawler grabbed onto the two mutants nearest himself, Spyke and ShadowKat, and _bamf_ed out of there.  Jean used her telekinetic abilities to lift herself and Cyclops up into the air away from the junkyard and Storm soon followed, using strong but controlled winds to carry herself and everyone else up and away.

They all met up atop the hill Nightcrawler had _bamf_ed himself and his fellow mutants to.  He was now out cold from the excessive use of his powers and it looked like Jean might soon follow.  Shortly after they all had regrouped, there was an explosion in the junkyard, sending debris flying everywhere.  Thanks to Wolverine's nose, they'd all been spared from the Brotherhood's fatal plan.  Everyone breathed a sigh of relief as their adrenaline levels returned to normal.  That is until ShadowKat spoke up.

"Where's Rogue?"

Those had been fatal words.  Scott remembered looking back at the fiery site that had been the junkyard filled with fear and dread.  He hadn't known what to do.  Should they go back and look for her?  Or was it too late, the search over before it even began.

"We go back to the Institute," Storm's voice had ordered.

And they'd all obeyed, no questions asked.  The return to the school had been absolutely silent.  When Kurt had finally woken up and been told what had happened he'd been absolutely frantic, wanting to go back and find her, not able to believe that Rogue was really dead.  Scott knew that, to this day, Kurt still believed Rogue was alive somehow, somewhere, just as he himself still felt the guilt at leaving her behind.  Kurt had found his hope, though, when Xavier had said _Cerebro's findings were insufficient to say whether or not Rogue was really dead or not and Logan had left soon after, leaving only a short note that said he had to search for her or he'd never forgive himself.  Even at the tail end of summer they were still waiting on word from him._

"Hey, you got a-"

"Oh man, he does!"

The two voices startled Scott and he turned to see a couple of young men standing in his doorway, other boys from his floor.  Roommates, if his memory served.  Scott looked around at his room, then back at the pair standing in his door.

"We're looking for a football to play catch with," one of them explained suddenly.

"I'm Nathan and this is Brad," the other one introduced, realizing they hadn't done so yet.

Scott debated turning them away, but then realized that perhaps these two would serve as a needed distraction.  Besides, they looked like nice enough guys and perhaps Scott could become friends with them.  Rising from his bed and grabbing the Nerf football, Scott smiled at the two and tossed the ball to them.

"The names Scott and you can use this one if you let me play too," Scott finally answered them.

The boys smiled invitingly.  "Alright, let's go!"  And together all three of them headed out into the warm summer day.

Remy sat on the bus, the laptop Charlene had given him sitting open, but unnoticed on his lap in front of him.  He'd been studying the grounds of the Mutant Mansion before his mind had wandered…back to her.

"Dammit," Remy cursed under his breath as finally he admitted to defeat and closed the laptop, setting it on the seat next to his.

He kept his black-rimmed red eyes fixed outside the window, though he saw none of the scenery flashing by.  He was too busy picturing her again.  Her gorgeous body, her hypnotic green eyes, enticing lips, soft accent.  As much as he knew that such feelings should be forbidden to him, he also knew that he was completely and totally lost on Rogue.  Belladonna, the woman he was betrothed to marry when he returned from this task set to him by the Guild Father, was now no more than just another woman he'd met and flirted with in his life.

But he wasn't supposed to have thoughts like that.  Belladonna would be his wife.  And before that he had to focus on his mission.  That was the reason he was heading to New York, not to go chasing after some mystery girl.  Remy remembered the short delight he'd felt when he'd realized that the place he was headed to and the place Rogue had said she was from were one and the same.  But New York was a big state and he couldn't waste time hoping that she, too, belonged to the Mutant group he was supposed to infiltrate.

He was never going to get her out his mind.  She made it impossible for him to concentrate on anything else.  Never had anyone had such an effect on him.  Remy had sworn to himself that he would never fall in love, he'd never even admitted that he'd actually loved Bella.  But Rogue had forced him to break his promise to himself, and he loved her all the more for it.

"Ferget'er," Remy ordered himself.

Impossible, he was immediately reminded.  It would be just as easy to forget to breath, or for his heart to forget to beat.  She had him under a spell that could never be broken.  And Remy knew that he could never let anything more come of it.  His life wouldn't allow it.  He had to complete this mission, return to New Orleans and then marry Bella in order to ensure peace between the Ravens and the Foxes.  Rogue, unfortunately, had no part in any of that and Remy knew he was just going to have to deal with it.

"Now," he told himself resolutely, "Git back t't'inkin' o' a way to get ya'self int'de mansion."


	6. Shelter, give them shelter from the comi...

Title:  _The House of the Rising Sun_, Chapter 3

Author: Goddess Evie

Date:  October 15, 2002

Genre:  Romance (Remy/Rogue, Scott/Jean, Lance/Kitty), Action, Drama, Angst, AU, heck, it's got it all…just not all in this chapter-prologue thingie.  ^_^

Rating: G, and I really don't think this'll get above PG.

Disclaimer:  I do NOT own X-Men of any incarnation.  I am but a poor, fanatical, poor, college student who much enjoys a show so that she writes extensive (and hopefully intriguing, enjoyable, and highly popular) fanfiction to feed her insatiable hunger for anything X-Men and is poor, if I haven't mentioned that already.  Also, the song lyric I use as the optional title doesn't belong to me either.  I'm quoting the song "Shelter" by Sarah McLachlan, my absolute favorite-est artist in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD!!!  Which is why you shouldn't be surprised when you see so many of her song lyrics as Chapter titles, though I AM trying to throw some variety in there, I swear!  But, sadly, I own nothing but the plot so don't sue me cause I can't even pay for college!  WAAAAH!

Summary:  Xavier detects a new mutant, can YOU guess who it is?  Believe me, it's not that hard.  And Ororo takes a small contingency to go confront this new mutant.  Also, Logan finally finds Rogue, thanks to the fact that she's lying unconscious in the middle of the road!  It's a good thing she's already absorbed Ms. Marvel's powers….eheh.

Author's Note:  This one came out longer than I expected because Remy's scene ended up being so long, but I hope it's still enjoyable, and it's definitely a crucial part to the story.  So, you're just going to have to deal with it.  Also, if you're wondering about the "(1)" at the end of the title, that just designates that there will be more than one chapter with this title, and this is just the first one.  I think I have at least 2 planned, so look forward to the second one!  Sadly to say, this is all of the fic that I have finished.  I will have much writing and MAJOR EDITING to do before any proceeding chapters come out, and that might take a while thanks to an overload of work and school, but I promise to work on it as diligently as possible.  Cross my heart and hope to die.  I started just today on Chapter 4, but no telling when I will feel that it's ready enough to be posted.  I really am a perfectionist.  Even today, when I was re-reading for the hundred-billionth time the prologues and first three chapters, I was making changes.  I don't think I can ever make this story good enough for myself.  I only hope you think it "good enough" for yourselves.  For now, just enjoy these three prologues and three chapters.  Read them over and over again until I post more.  Finish writing your own version of this story.  I don't care, just PLEASE be patient with me?  Please…pretty please…?

Chapter 3:  "_Shelter-give them shelter from the coming storm_." (1)

Despite his enhanced eyesight, Logan didn't see the object laying in the middle of the road until the last second.  With a jerk of the wheel and a squeal of tires, he swerved to miss whatever it was and stopped his truck to investigate.  With the motor still running Logan exited the vehicle and jogged back to where the something had been laying.  Even in the dark of the night he could make out its form.

He could also smell it, and the familiar scent that assaulted his nose sent him to a dead run, dropping hard to his knees next to Rogue's unconscious form.  Gently rolling her over onto her back, he looked her over for any obvious damage as his mind reeled with questions.  He had no time for them now, however, and he knew it.  Seeing that there were no severe wounds needing immediate attention, Logan took the unconscious girl in his arms and headed back to his truck.

Somehow he managed to open the passenger door and get her settled on the seat.  He propped her up with help of the seatbelt, so that he wouldn't close the door on her, then quickly made his way to the other side of the automobile and climbed in.  Remembering that he had passed a small town just a few miles back, he turned his truck to point in the direction he had been coming from, shifted it into drive, and sped off.

With Rogue silently unconscious, and nothing but the hum of the tires to keep him company, the questions that Logan had previously pushed away now came to rest in the front of his mind.  Where had she been?  What had she been doing?  Why had she been unconscious in the middle of the road?  Why was she dressed like she was?  He inhaled deeply through his nose, hoping to find some clues in her scent, but there was too much intermingled and all overpowered by her own natural odor for him to make anything out.  He would just have to wait until she woke up and could question her for himself.

But at least his search was over, now.  It was incredible luck for him to find her so suddenly when he'd found next to nothing for the long months he'd been searching.  Finally, he could return to Bayville and the X-men, with Rogue.  He knew he should have kept in contact with Charles, but he didn't want to get up any false hopes in anyone's mind.  He had remembered the smell of guilt surrounding Scott and the overpowering scent of loss and grief that had enveloped Kurt.  He hadn't been able to handle those two, not to mention all the other students wandering around also reeking of despair, depression, and even more grief.  And so he had left to find her, knowing that now everyone was counting on him.  If only Rogue had known how much she would be missed, would she have left so suddenly?

But that was a question to be answered when Rogue awoke.  And she was still in a deep sleep, leaning against the cool window of the passenger side door.  She was here, though, with him, soon to be back at the Mansion where everyone would celebrate her return and things could get back to normal.

Still, he couldn't help wondering…

Pulling into the parking lot of the small motel located in the middle of the town, Logan pushed those questions from his mind.  He parked the car and turned it off before climbing out, telling Rogue, unconscious as she was, that he'd be back soon.  Quickly he entered the grungy office of the motel and ordered a room for the night.  The attendant on shift wasn't up for chatter of any kind, as she took Logan's money and got him a key card, and for that Logan was glad.  He'd always hated the kind of employees who wanted to chat and learn all about your life.  Logan's life was his own and no one else's business, not even Professor Charles Xavier's.

Key card in hand, Logan took the time to find the room, unlock and enter it, turn on a few dim lights, and prop the door open before returning to get Rogue.  Just as gently as before he extracted Rogue from the truck, kicking the door closed, and carried her to the room.  He hooked the chair he'd placed in front of the door to keep it from closing with his foot, pulling it out of the way so the door would swing shut and then laid out the unconscious mutant on one of the two double beds that took up most of the room.

Now that they were relatively safe, Logan took the time to do a more in-depth search of Rogue, being extremely careful not to touch her skin.  Even in sleep her mutant ability was active and potent and she didn't need any of him running around inside her head with everybody else she'd absorbed.  He found that she had no weapons and he could detect no internal injuries.  There were some old bruises on her neck that were now faded and yellow along with some burns in various stages of healing, though none so bad that they needed treatment, and Logan had to wonder who or what had caused them.  More questions to be answered when she awoke.  Overall, she seemed to be fine and had settled into a deep sleep.

Logan allowed himself to fall back onto the edge of the other bed, his chin supported by his fists as he watched Rogue sleep.  Glancing at the phone on the bedside table he briefly considered calling the mansion, but once again he knew he couldn't get anyone's hopes up without first finding out with whom Rogue's loyalties lay.  At this point he could only hope and speculate.  And with Rogue, that wasn't easy.  Unlike Scott or Jean, Rogue's ideas of right and wrong weren't black and white.

She'd had a long hard life that few at the institute could imagine or truly sympathize with, not that she had ever made it easy for those who tried.  And because of her mutant ability, it seemed everyone wanted her for some diabolic plan.  She'd been a member of the Brotherhood before she'd come to live at the Mansion and be an X-Man.  No one was ever sure whether or not she would turn sides because a villain had an arguable point.  Logan knew that at least one or two of the students had decided that she'd finally decided to turn traitor and had left with the Brotherhood the day of the junkyard incident.

Well, at the moment there wasn't much that he could do, except wait for Rogue to wake up.  Making himself comfortable, Logan resigned himself to a long wait.

Professor Xavier sat perfectly still in his wheel chair, as _Cerebro_ did her job.  He was at his daily ritual, looking for newly emerging mutants.  He spent at least an hour a day doing this, sometimes more if he thought he'd found one.  He'd been at it today for almost forty minutes with no mutant signatures detected.  Twenty more minutes and he'd give up for the day.  When he was linked with _Cerebro_ he had a very clarified and distinct sense of time that he hadn't yet been able to explain.

Although he'd never tell anyone, he'd also found another reason for this day-to-day custom since the beginning of the summer.  He hoped that perhaps he'd be able to find Rogue again.  For the most part he'd been unsuccessful in his search, although there had been a couple of times when he'd thought he'd gotten close.  But each time he'd lost the signal, whether it had been her's or not.  Other than that he'd not sensed a thing.

Ah, but today it looked like he might get lucky.  _Cerebro was picking up a mutant signature and even now pinpointing it.  Somewhere along the east coast-no, further in than that, but still east of the Appalachians.  In his mind Xavier could see the Appalachian states in his mind as if he were looking at a map.  Illinois, Ohio, and Kentucky all zoomed by before __Cerebro slowed halfway into Tennessee.  Focusing closer in, Charles watched as cities and towns in the rolling hills of Tennessee sped by in his mind's eye, but __Cerebro didn't stop at any._

In fact, _Cerebro never stopped at all.  Instead, she zoomed in on a highway and followed it at blinding speed, bypassing cars, trucks, semis and other vehicles with ease.  If Xavier had been watching the scene with his real eyes he would have gotten dizzy and possibly even nauseous.  In real life, he suffered from motion sickness and thus traveled only when necessary.  But when he was on the astral plane, without a physical body, all physical limitations were also gone and Xavier could do as he pleased._

_Cerebro soon found herself, with Charles in tow, up beside one of those huge charter buses, hovering along and in and around it, until finally it settled upon the face of a young man staring out the window.  A ruffian by the looks of it, but Charles tried not to make judgments before he actually met the mutant.  Quickly, he locked onto the coordinates and programmed __Cerebro to keep track of the young man and link with the _Blackbird_.  Then, pulling the helmet from his head and setting it carefully in its place on the console, he activated his wheelchair and left the large, spherical room __Cerebro was housed in._

Ororo was waiting in the hall outside like always, ready in case he picked up anything.  She had the same hopeful look in her eyes and serene look on her face.  Ororo was one mutant who had come to terms with her powers and mutant status.  He nodded at her and she smiled.

"Take a small group of students with you.  _Cerebro is already linked with the __Blackbird and the coordinates are locked in.  I'm afraid this one is currently on the move, so approach with care," Charles told her._

"Of course, Charles," she squeezed his shoulder as she passed by.

*And as always, be safe,* he sent to her telepathically.

Rogue awoke from the dream she was having to a sunny room and the most comfortable bed she'd slept in for months.  For a while she just let herself lie there with her eyes closed, enjoying the luxuriousness of it all.  After living with the Brotherhood, this was paradise.

But eventually her mind coaxed her into opening her eyes, sitting up and taking a look around.  Alarm bells were going off in her head as she wondered how she'd arrived here.  The last thing she could remember was flying through the air when Carol Danver's memories had assaulted her until finally she had blacked out.  How had she gotten here?  Who had found her and brought her to this place?

Her first instinct was to suspect the Brotherhood.  It was obvious by the way that they had shown up at that bar in New Orleans that Mystique still wanted her.  But they would never have left her alone and unguarded.  At least one of them would have been left behind to keep an eye on her.  So, then, who?

Just at that moment the answer decided to walk through the door.  The biggest smile Rogue had ever worn since discovering her mutant powers broke onto her face as Logan let the door swing closed behind himself.

"Logan, yer an angel," she told him.

He raised his eyebrows at her at that comment as he walked around to the other bed and settled himself down on the edge of it.  He set a bag down on the bedside table that had the most delectable smell coming from it, causing Rogue's stomach to rumble as a reminder that she hadn't eaten since before she'd escaped from the Brotherhood of Mutants.

"You hungry?" he asked as he uncrumpled the top of the bag and stuck his hand in.

"Yes," her answer came out a little too eager and she looked away with a blush.

"Here then," he said, making her turn back.

She watched as Logan pulled two meals out of the bag, sandwiches, fries, and bottled sodas.  Without waiting Rogue dug in, shoving french fries into her mouth and swallowing them only half chewed.

"So where ya been?" Logan asked when everybody else would have told her to slow down and chew.

She slowed her fry gorging and finished masticating the food in her mouth and swallowed before she answered.

"Where d'ya think?" she asked snidely.

"Just answer the question."

That was Logan for you, straightforward and no nonsense as ever.

"With the Brotherhood," she said as she uncapped her soda for a drink.

"And what were you doing with them?" he asked before taking a huge bite of his burger.

"Doin' their dirty work," she answered disgustedly as she munched on more fries.

He looked her directly in the eyes.  "And why would you be doing that for them?"

She ignored the accusing tone in his voice, remembering that this was Logan, eternally suspicious.

"Look, Ah didn't want to.  Mystique captu'ed me an' forced me t'do her biddin'.  If Ah'd had a choice that wouldn't have been it," she assured.

"Then what happened that day?" Logan kept on with his relentless questions between bites of his food.

Rogue sighed as she let her hand drop into her lap, still clutching the last of her fries.  She knew exactly what day he was talking about.  The day the X-men and the Brotherhood of Mutants had rumbled in that junkyard.  She didn't like to remember that day and what it had meant for her.  But she knew Logan wouldn't leave her alone until she answered, so she forced the memories out of the recesses of her mind and told her story to Logan.

"When we all split up, Ah went with Scott.  We'd chanced upon Toad and Scott was tryin' to shoot 'im down.  Ah was doin' muh best t'stay outta his way.  That's when Kitty showed up, said Kurt was in some kahnd of trouble an' wanted me to come with her t'help 'im.  It looked t'me lahke Scott had everythin' undah control, so Ah followed Kitty," here Rogue paused and squeezed her eyes shut.  She expected Logan to order her to continue her story, but he sat silently.  Finally, as Logan remained quiet, Rogue continued.  "It wasn't Kitty really, just Mystique in disguahse.  But Ah didn't know that until it was too late.  When she had the chance she revealed herself t'me and kidnapped me."

"Why?"

"Ah don'know.  All summah she's been sendin' me out with the Brotherhood t'do this or do that.  Lahke Ah said befo', Ah didn't want to," Rogue reminded.

Logan wiped his fingers on a napkin, then reached out and pushed her hair away from her neck, keeping a check on their position in relation to her skin.  "What happened here?"

Rogue put her hand to her neck, massaging it, Logan pulling his hand away quickly in response to the action.  She could still feel some of the burns from the collar she'd been forced to wear.   "Mystique's way of controllin' me.  If Ah didn't do what she wanted me to, she gave me a nasty shock," Rogue explained.  "And she had no qualms about knockin' me out if she thought it was necessary."

Logan nodded, not saying anything.  As she finished the last few bites of her hamburger and washed it down with a long gulp of soda, she waited for him to pass judgment.  He never did, however.  Instead he rose from the bed and headed for the door again.  He opened it as if to leave, but stopped and looked back at her.

"There's an extra key card here for you," he gestured to the desk where a small white card was sitting.  "Feel free to get out and walk around.  Just be ready to go in three hours."

She nodded at him and he left.

Rogue's first order of business was to take a nice long bath.  She soaked in the steamy water until she was prunie all over.  When she was done she toweled off, put her cat suit back on since that was the only clothing she had, did her best to finger comb her hair and decided a nice walk was exactly what she needed.  So, remembering to grab the key card and stick it in one of the various pockets of her cat suit, she left.

The town was small, at least compared to New Orleans and Rogue soon found herself leaving the downtown area and entering the suburbs.  She let herself relax for once and just enjoy the late summer weather, the green trees lining each street and the well-groomed houses and yards.  Without a watch she couldn't very well keep track of the time, but she'd had two hours of Logan's three hour free time left so she figured she had plenty of time to get back to the hotel.

It was on her way back that she found the trouble she hadn't even been looking for.  It came to her in the shape of three young men out looking for some last minute summer fun.  One of them had a video camera in hand and was filming his two buddies performing their stupid and immature antics.  Rogue rolled her eyes at them and kept walking.  But the three boys refused to be ignored.

"Hey, **hey**!" the one with the video camera commented as he turned the lens on her, sweeping it up and down her body.  "What have we here?"

The attention of the two other boys was soon on her, too, and they jogged across the street in order to catch up to her.

"Hey baby, want to be in our film?"

"I'd say it's not a porno, but then I'd be lieing," another one taunted her.

"Leave me alone," she growled, refusing to look at them.

But the one with the camera got right in her face, and thus in her path, forcing her to stop.

"Come on, don't be shy," he told her.  "The camera loves you."

The other two sidled up close to her, getting liberous with their hands.  Rogue remembered her newly acquired mutant powers just in time to stop herself from pushing the three away.  She knew she didn't have much control over or experience with them and so she tried not to do anything rash that might get anyone hurt.  Instead, she pushed herself past them, walking swiftly back in the direction of the hotel.  The three insisted on following her.

"Come on, girlie, don't be shy."

"Yeah, make love to the camera darling."

"Ah said, leave me **alone**!"

Rogue had had enough and she made one final, desperate attempt to get away from them.  Before she realized what was happening she had lifted into the air with the help of Danver's powers and was flying away, leaving the boys on the ground, staring at her in awe, the lens of the camera following her all the way.

*Logan'll **kill** me if he finds out,* she scolded herself.

She knew that what she had just done was stupid, especially with no Professor Charles Xavier around to erase their minds and destroy their camera, but she couldn't undo it, so she just kept going.  If she didn't tell Logan, he'd never know…hopefully.  And if he somehow he did find out, well, she'd just have to see how clever she could be.  When the boys were out of sight, Rogue set herself down and walked the rest of the way back to the hotel.

Not sure if Logan would be back already, she made sure that she looked and acted normal before sliding the key card through the door lock.  The electronic lock beeped, the small light turning from red to green and she pushed on the handle to enter the room before she lost her window of opportunity and had to go through the process of unlocking the door again.

To her relief, Logan wasn't back yet.  Checking the clock on the bedside table she saw that she still had an hour or so before he'd probably return.  Deciding it was probably best to stay in until he returned, Rogue tossed her key card back onto the desk and flopped onto the bed.  With a flick of the remote the TV was on and she spent the rest of the afternoon watching whatever looked interesting.

Remy's bus was making a two-hour pit stop in some small podunk town somewhere in Tennessee.  Everywhere he looked he saw cowboy hats, farmers, hicks and mountain men.  Even worse than that, the music coming from cars, shops and radios was all country western.  How he missed the jazzy rhythms and spicy beats of the Deep South.  Amidst all these two-steppin' cowboys and girls greeting each other with a "Howdy" he felt completely out of place.  What he wouldn't give to hear a real bluesy song and someone calling out "Bonjour, mon ami".

And why were these people so obsessed with barbequed everything?  Didn't they appreciate a good gumbo, succulent crayfish, or syrupy sweet Pecan Pie?  How could people live like this?  As hard as he looked, Remy couldn't find anything that even resembled good Cajun food.  Oh, how he was missing Louisiana already.

Realizing he wasn't going to get any decent food, he walked himself into the first restaurant he came to.  The woman who seated him took his drink order- coffee, nice and black or it wasn't worth anything-and left to quickly return with a mug full of coffee, informing him that refills were free and his waiter would be with him in a moment.  Remy took a sip of the hot liquid as he opened his menu and looked through his choices.  Just as he suspected, it was all countrified and probably had no kick to it.

"Are ya ready ta order?"

Remy looked up to see who the owner of the perky, twangy voice was and smiled when he saw a young woman not much older than himself, her blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail and her hazel eyes sparkling softly at him as she waited for him to place his order.

"Well," Remy drawled, looking back at his menu, "what would you suggest?"

He smiled back up at her and she chuckled.

"Today our special is chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes and gravy," she offered, her voice sounding even peppier than before.

"Well, den, I t'ink I will jus' have dat," he requested with a wink.

"Alright, then, yer food'll be ready in just a few minutes," she told him before taking his menu and walking away with a bigger smile than when she'd first approached his table.

Remy watched her discreetly over the rim of his coffee mug, smiling smugly to himself as he watched her gush to her girlfriend, gesturing in his direction and giggling like mad.

"Yes, LeBeau, ya cert'nly got it," he mumbled to himself as he settled in to wait for his meal.

And that was when the woman sat down at his table.  He recognized her, of course, from her pictures, and hoped that his look of recognition came off as a look of surprise.

"May I help you?" he asked, putting on an easy smile.

"Actually, I was more interested in whether or not  I could help you," she responded, sounding as professional as any of the business men Remy had pick pocketed back in Orleans.

"And how might you do dat," he asked, raising an inquisitive, and slightly skeptical eyebrow at her.

"I have an offer I'd like to propose to you," the woman told him as she swept her white hair over her shoulder.

"Who are you?" Remy asked as if he didn't already know.

"My name is Ororo Munroe," she told him truthfully.

Remy nodded.  "Well, den, what's dis offah ya have?"

Ororo paused before answering, placing her hands gracefully on the table and leaning in toward him, looking straight into his eyes.  Without knowing what was happening, Remy found himself getting drawn into her gaze as she spoke, the rest of the restaurant seeming to disappear.

"You have…a special talent, an ability that you can't explain," she spoke authoritatively, making her comments into statements instead of questions.  "I come from a place where there are other young people just like you, who are learning to control and use their abilities in hopes that someday they will be able to live in a world where…mutants…and humans, can live together in peace."

"Can I get you something ta drink?" the voice of the waitress broke whatever spell Ororo had put over him.

"Just some water, please," Ororo requested.

The waiter left to get it with a huge smile for Remy.  Ororo patiently waited for the girl to leave hearing distance before she made eye contact with Remy once more, ready to start her proposal over again.

But Remy had other ideas.  "What was dat hocus pocus you jus' did on me?  No more o' dat."

Ororo closed her eyes, sighing defeat.  "That was another mutant displaying her abilities.  I have brought some of the students with me, if you would like to meet them?" she raised one fine eyebrow at him questioningly.

Remy didn't see why not and he let her know, shrugging at her.  She smiled warmly at him and then spoke softly into some kind of comm. device as she made room in the booth.  Remy followed suit, scooting over on the bench into the far corner, although it made escape that much more difficult.

Eventually, they were joined by three more "mutants" who stuffed themselves in beside Remy and Ororo.  Two of them Remy recognized right off the bat as Jean took the space directly next to Ororo and Evan Daniels next to her.  The girl who seated herself next to him with a polite smile Remy couldn't put a name to, although he did recognize her from the pictures.

"I would like you to meet Jean Grey, Evan Daniels, and Jubilation Lee," Ororo introduced each mutant.

They all greeted him courteously, Jubilation telling him to call her "Jubilee" and Remy replied dutifully.

"More drinks, I see," the waitress commented as she reached over to set a glass of water in front of Ororo.

"Can I get a glass of milk, Auntie O?" Evan asked immediately.

"Of course, Evan," Ororo assured.

Evan smiled up at the waitress as Jean requested water with lemon and Jubilee decided on a cherry coke.  Once again the waitress left to get the orders for Remy's now crowded table.

"So which one'a you was doin' dat voodoo t'ing," Remy asked.

Jubilee giggled as Jean proudly fessed up to being the perpetrator of the act.

"You learn dat at de school Miss Munroe was tellin' me 'bout?" he inquired.

Jean nodded.  "Yes, Ororo and the other teachers help guide us all in developing and controlling our mutant powers."

"It's really cool," Jubilee jumped in.  "Before I went to live at the Institute I was blowing up electronics all over, but now I've got better control and I'm not afraid to go near a video arcade anymore."

"Plus you meet a lot of girls there," Evan joked with a grin.

Remy chuckled as Evan received a cool look from Jean and a roll of the eyes from Jubilee.  Ororo obviously decided to ignore her nephew's comment.

"We would really like to have you.  If you're interested you can come with us to get a better insight into what we do at the Institute.  If, after that, you don't think it's for you, then we'll take you wherever you want to go," Ororo assured.

"Free o' charge?" Remy couldn't help tacking on, thinking that Ororo was sounding like a telemarketer.

Ororo chuckled and nodded, responding, "Yes, free of charge."

"Well, Remy dunno," he told her as the waitress set down everyone's drinks in front of them and slid the Cajun his food across the table.  He looked at the four mutants surrounding him as he picked up knife and fork and dug in. "What're ya powers?"

The question was direct, bold and it shook up the others visibly.  They hadn't expected him to ask that so soon, but they recovered quickly and, with a nod, Ororo directed her charges to explain their abilities to him.

Jean began, looking as confident as she had in any of the pictures Remy had seen of her.  "I have developing telekinetic and telepathic powers."

"What's dat supposed t'mean," Remy asked as he sprinkled his food liberously with Tabasco sauce.

"Well, I can move objects with my mind," she smiled as Remy's spoon whipped off the table and landed on the floor.  Remy nodded appreciatively as she continued.  "I can also read people's minds, although I don't without permission or urgent need, and the Professor says someday I might even be able to control people like he can."

Remy didn't respond in any way to that admittance, although he had to admit, the prospect was scary.  Ororo looked at Evan and he grinned before detailing his mutant abilities.

"I can't do anything with my mind like Jean," he started just as a waitress came by and bent down to pick up the spoon, "but I can shoot bone spikes or plates from my body.  It's pretty cool, wanna see?"

"Not now, Evan," Ororo reminded.

"I know, Auntie, I was just joking," Evan assured right before a big gulp of milk.

"Evan's ability depends greatly on the calcium supply in his body, which he must constantly refresh," Ororo explained.

"It's a good thing I love milk," Evan commented as he banged his now empty glass on the table.

"All right, Jubilee," Ororo signaled them to move on.

Jubilee collected herself before she began.  "My mutants powers…well, they're kind of hard to explain."  She paused again before she continued.  "They're like little sparkles that don't like electronics," she finally giggled.

Remy raised an eyebrow at the girl.  "Ooooo-kay," he told her.

"I'm sorry," she giggled again, nervously as she wracked her brain for a way to explain her mutant power.

"Is okay, chère," he told her with a smile.

She smiled back, blushing.  "Well, I have the ability to shoot small sparkles from my fingers," she tried again.  "These sparkles really don't _do_ anything, except they tend to fry electronic devices.  If I got too excited at any arcade, for instance, I'd usually end up short circuiting the game."

Remy nodded, "Dat's a power dat could come in handy, if ya know how t'use it correctly."

Jubilee smiled proudly at the praise as Remy looked Ororo directly in the eyes.  "And what's your power?" he asked just as boldly as before.

Ororo stared back, the whole table silent.  Remy couldn't read the expression on the woman's face, she kept it as calm and cool as any poker shark, but he, too knew that sometimes you just had to call a person's bluff.  This was one of those times.

"Alright," she finally answered with a small nod of her head, "My mutant ability is control over weather."

Her answer was complete and at the same time there were many questions he wanted to ask about her.  Control the weather?  How did a person control the weather?  But instead of asking any questions, he pushed his finished plate away from himself and put his hands on the table, ready to ask more questions.

*Don' get too carried away,* he reminded himself.

"An' you aren' de only ones at dis school?" he asked aloud.

Ororo nodded in affirmation.  "This is only a very small fraction of the students the Institute houses.  And the numbers are growing all the time as new mutants emerge."

"You get to meet some very nice people, make wonderful friends," Jean piped in.

Remy studied his hands as they were spread out on the table.  "Well, it don' sound too bad, t'be trut'ful."

"So you'll come," Jubilee asked excitedly.

"Give it a try, man.  It really is pretty cool," Evan urged.

Remy shrugged.  "A'ight, why not?"  He grinned at the mutants surrounding him.

"Well, then, shall we be on our way?" Ororo suggested digging in her purse for some money to pay the bill.

"Chère, lemme get dat," Remy offered setting some bills on the table before she had a chance.

"Thank you," she said with a smile.

"Oui," he replied, with a few fingers to his forehead in lieu of tipping the hat he wasn't wearing.

Already the other three had slipped out of the booth and waited.  Ororo and Remy followed suit, Ororo immediately taking the lead as they headed out of the restaurant.  They passed the waitress that had served them, and she looked up as they went by, smiling and blushing at Remy, who grinned and winked at her.  She was blushing even deeper when she turned back to the table she'd been serving.

Out in the bright daylight, Ororo lead the group to a jeep parked near the entrance.  She took the driver's seat and Jean immediately took the passenger seat beside her.  As he climbed into the back with Evan and Jubilee, Remy wandered if there was some kind of unofficial ranking that these mutants were following.  Of course, Ororo was the leader, being eldest and these three's guardian, but Jean had automatically assumed the spot next to Ororo both in the restaurant and now here in the jeep.  Neither Evan nor Jubilee had protested Jean's sitting in the passenger seat while they were doomed to be squished in the back with him, nor had anyone "called dibs" on it or fought over it.

Remy sighed, knowing he'd figure it out sooner or later.  It would just take a little bit of observation on his part, and maybe even some innocent seeming questions.  There was one question on his mind that he was tempted to ask, although he kept it to himself.  Did they know Rogue, or at least know of her?  Could they tell him more about her?  Surely there was a possibility that the fact that both Rogue and this group of mutants lived in New York was more than a coincidence.  Would it really be that much of a stretch, and too much hoping on Remy's part, to believe that perhaps Rogue had been a part of this group at one time?  But that only caused more questions to spring to the Cajun's mind.  If she had been a part of this group, then why had she left?  They seemed like nice enough people, willing to help and offering it freely.

Remy shook his head at himself and put his mind back on the here and now.  "Eh, I gotta get m'stuff from de bus station," he called up to Ororo.

"Just tell me which way," she called back.

The directions Remy gave were easy; the bus station wasn't far.  Remy had walked from it to the restaurant they'd all met at.  Shortly they arrived and Remy was quick to grab his duffel bag and cash in his ticket for the remainder of the bus trip that he wasn't going to be traveling.  Then, with his duffel stashed in the very back, they were off again.

As they left the small town, Remy wondered if he was destined to be squished in the back seat between Evan and Jubilee, the wind whipping at his face and through his hair, the whole way to New York.  There wasn't much room in the jeep with the three of them all sitting back there.  Raising this concern, he got grins from all three of the younger mutants.

"Don't worry," Evan yelled to him over the roaring wind, "We like to travel in style!"

Remy had no idea what he meant by that, but he would find out when the time came.  And it came sooner then he thought it would.  Ororo turned off the highway onto a small side road that meandered its way through the back hills of Tennessee.  They followed it for a couple of miles before she turned once again, and this time the road was dirt and gravel.  With rocks flying up everywhere, and the dust billowing around them, Remy was forced to cover his face the best he could with his trench coat sleeve in order to keep it all from getting in his eyes or breathing it in.  And the roughness of the road kept him knocking into Evan and Jubilee.

"How much longah'?" he yelled his question, getting a mouthful of dust.

"Not much," Jean yelled back to him.

"Not much" was still too long for Remy, and he sighed in relief when the jeep finally came to a stop.  They were somewhere in the back hills of Tennessee, and the rolling green meadows were devoid of any life forms or signs of civilization besides themselves.  Nobody was moving, although Remy got the feeling that they were all waiting expectantly.  Looking up into the front seat, Remy watched, impressed, as Ororo called up a hidden console from the dashboard and started to key in a sequence that, even with his quick eyes and sharp sight, Remy couldn't quite make out.

When everyone else's eyes looked ahead at the empty green fields, Remy did too, not sure what it was that they were looking for.  If he hadn't been wedged between Jubilee and Evan, he would have fallen out of the jeep at what next happened.  A ripple moved through the air, following the silhouette of some huge object that Remy couldn't quite make out.  And then the something huge appeared, crackling in as if it were a hologram coming to life.

"Dat…dat's not real, is it?" he asked, looking around wide-eyed as the mutants surrounding him.

"It certainly is," Ororo assured as she pressed the gas and they began to move toward it.  She was tapping on the console again as they did and a hatch in the back opened up.

"I told you we liked to travel in style, man," Evan reminded with a nudge.

Remy could only nod as they hit the ramp that entered into the huge aircraft, the ride suddenly becoming smooth and debris free.  Bringing the jeep to a halt in the middle of the cargo bay, everyone began to pile out as Ororo shifted the jeep into park, put on the parking brake and turned off the engine.

Remy stood beside the automobile, looking around in awe.  This had to be the styling-est way to travel he'd ever seen.

"Pretty cool, man, isn't it?" Evan caught his attention and Remy turned to see the boy was grinning and had already grabbed his duffel bag from the jeep.

"Pretty nice setup ya got here," he admitted with appreciation.

"Well, you haven't seen nothing, yet.  Follow me," Evan offered, adjusting the strap of the duffel bag on his shoulder and heading toward a door that had to lead to the cockpit of the ship.

Remy did follow amid the hiss of air and the hum of hydraulics, the light fading as the hatch closed.  When it got almost too dark to see artificial lights flickered on, showing the way to the door.  Already the women had entered through it and when Remy and Evan joined them, they were all seated and buckling in.  Evan placed Remy's duffel bag by the door and then went up to sit by Ororo.  Remy took the seat behind Jubilee, taking their example and buckling in also.

"Welcome to the _Blackbird_," Jean looked back to smile at him.

"T'anks," he replied with a small nod of his head as his eyes explored the cockpit.

"Alright, Evan, start us up," Ororo instructed her nephew.

Remy's eyebrows shot up when he realized that it would be Evan in control of this huge craft and not Ororo.

"And remember, don't kill us," Jubilee jibed with a laugh.

Remy added his silent agreement.

"Hey, I got this part down," Evan objected lightly as he his hands moved across the control panel, pushing buttons and flicking switches.  With a soft hum the engines ignited and Remy could feel the power of the craft vibrating beneath his feet.  The wraparound screen above the control panel lit up with the view of the outside.  This really was one amazing machine.

"Hey, can I fly, too?" Evan asked.

"When you've logged your hours in the simulator," Ororo told him as she took control of the craft.

Remy sighed in relief.

The liftoff was vertical, no runway needed, which made Remy feel a bit easier.  He'd wondered how they had planned to get the speed and distance for a regular liftoff with the rolling hills surrounding them.  With long earned ease and control, Ororo sent the _Blackbird_ soaring through the sky.  There was a lot less G force than Remy would have expected.  For a moment, when they'd first started forward, there had been the feeling of being pressed back into his seat, and then the pressure was gone and he could move freely again.

"So, what do ya think?" Jubilee leaned around the edge of her seat to look at him, Jean doing the same across from her.

"Well," Remy said looking between the two girls and flashing a grin, "Très bien."

Both girls looked at each other and smiled, giggling.  Gambit smirked to himself and thought, *I def'nitely still got it.*


	7. Everybody loves you when you're easy Ev...

Title:  _The House of the Rising Sun_, Chapter 4

Author: Goddess Evie

Date:  October 18, 2002

Genre:  Romance (Remy/Rogue, Scott/Jean, Lance/Kitty), Action, Drama, Angst, AU, heck, it's got it all…just not all in one chapter.  ^_^

Rating: G, and I really don't think this'll get above PG.

Disclaimer:  I do NOT own X-Men of any incarnation.  I am but a poor, fanatical, poor, college student who much enjoys a show so that she writes extensive (and hopefully intriguing, enjoyable, and highly popular) fanfiction to feed her insatiable hunger for anything X-Men and is poor, if I haven't mentioned that already.  Also, the song lyric I use as the title doesn't belong to me either.  I'm quoting the song "Black and White" by Sarah McLachlan, my absolute favorite-est artist in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD!!!  Which is why you shouldn't be surprised when you see so many of her song lyrics as Chapter titles, though I AM trying to throw some variety in there, I swear!  But, sadly, I own nothing but the plot so don't sue me cause I can't even pay for college!  WAAAAH!

Summary:  Ororo and the gang finally arrive back at the Institute, Remy meets with Xavier and makes his final decision.  More interaction between Logan and Rogue, and Logan pulls a risqué maneuver.

Author's Note:  Well, didn't get as far into the plot with this chapter as I wanted to, but that's okay.  Just means my fic will be longer and BETTER!!!  At least Remy has finally made it to the mansion.  Now we just gotta get Rogue and Logan back and we can move on from there.  I have a little fun with the scene in the _Blackbird_. I was kinda just writing and seeing where it would take me.  I swear I wasn't smoking anything when I wrote it!  I hope you enjoy it, though.  And aren't you glad I got the next part out so fast? *grins*  You should be, cause no telling when Chapter six will be posted!  Want it to come faster?  Well, then, write my four to five college level Shakespeare paper on Romeo and Juliet, Othello, Hamlet, Twelfth Night or Measure for Measure so that I'll have time to work on the next part!  Yeah, that's what I thought.  Patience, my dears, and you will be rewarded.

Chapter 4:  _"Everybody loves you when you're easy.  Everybody hates when you're a bore.  Everybody's waiting for your entrance.  Don't disappoint them."_

They were driving through the blue grass hills of Kentucky as the sun was coming up, Logan at the wheel of his truck, Rogue leaning against the window asleep in the passenger's seat.  They had departed for New York as soon as Logan had returned to the motel the previous afternoon, wasting no time on anything.  He hadn't told her where he'd gone, and Rogue, smart as she was, had known better than to ask.  The only time they'd taken any stops on the way was to fill up the truck's gas tank, pee, or get food.  They were making good time because of it, too.  Logan figured they could be back in Bayville by tomorrow afternoon at the latest.  Just in time for the new school year, if he remembered correctly.

Most of the trip had been spent in silence, neither Logan nor Rogue having ever been much for talking.  Logan just concentrated on the road in front of him, and his companion had directed her gaze out the passenger side window, her eyes seeing things that weren't in the passing scenery.  Logan had been tempted more than once to ask her more about how she'd spent her summer, but something stopped him and for now he let it go.  Eventually, though, he would ask her.  He could tell she was hiding something, a big something.

A bump in the road caused the truck to bounce on its half-decent shocks and jolted Rogue from her slumber.  She'd looked like she'd been having a nightmare anyway.  She rubbed her eyes and face to wake herself up, stretching as best she could in the limited interior of the cab.  Wrapping her arms around her stomach and settling back into the seat, one foot propped up on the dashboard, she looked around herself at the surrounding scenery then turned her gaze to Logan.

"Where are we?"

"Kentucky," was Logan's gruff reply.

She nodded as she rubbed an eye again, yawning, then curled up on the seat, putting as much distance between herself and Logan as possible.  It wasn't that she loathed or was disgusted by him; it was merely her own natural instinct.  Stay as far away from people as possible, even erect a wall sometimes, and nobody would get hurt emotionally, mentally, or physically.

"We stoppin' fah breakfast anytahme soon?" was her next question.

Logan shrugged.  "Next time we hit a town."

Another nod from Rogue and they lapped into silence once more.  Although Rogue seemed to have let herself slip into deep thoughts of her own, Logan was very much aware of his surroundings, and of the young woman seated next to him.  He couldn't place it, but something seemed different about her.

"So," Logan said, not sure how to breech the subject.

"What?" Rogue replied, annoyed at having been disturbed.

Logan shook his head at himself with a small growl and decided his usual direct approach would just have to do.  "What happened?"

"What d'ya mean?" Rogue asked, immediately taking on the defensive.

"I mean, this summer, with the Brotherhood.  What happened?" Logan clarified.

"Ah told you, they forced me t'do whatevah they needed me t'do," Rogue re-explained.

"No," Logan objected.  "There's something else, something you're not telling me."

He could tell he'd hit a sore spot by the way she turned her head away from him, frowning deeply, her eyes lowered and looking everywhere but at him.

"Nothin' happened," she lied.

"People don't end up lying in the middle of the road because 'nothing happened'," Logan assured her.

Her only reply was sullen silence.

"Rogue-" Logan started again and this time he got a response.

"Fahne!  You wanna know what happened?  Ah'll tell you what happened," she burst out in anger, glaring at him with tears in her eyes.

But the anger was soon over and she pulled back into herself, fighting the tears that threatened to overcome.  She propped her feet up on the seat, wrapped her arms around her legs and rested her forehead on her knees as she calmed and collected herself.  Logan waited patiently for her to continue, realizing, from her outburst that she had been pushed to the edge and it wouldn't take much more to tip her over.  Finally, tears having been dealt with and emotions suppressed, Rogue turned her head to look at Logan, her cheek now resting on her knees.  He noticed that her eyes seemed to be glazed over and she spoke as if in a trance while she told her story.

"Rahght b'fore ya found me, Ah…" she halted and took a deep breath, starting over again.  "Mystique had a mission for the Brothah'hood an' me jus' b'fore you found me.  She wanted us t'steal some top secret military plane.  Ah dunno why, but then Ah nevah understood why she had us do any of the assignments she gave t'us."

That would explain her scent all over the airstrip, and the Brotherhood's.

"Things were goin' fahne.  Everyone was doin' their paht and the plan was goin' smoothly.  But we had an unexpected visitor," again Rogue paused, squeezing her eyes shut.  She forced herself to go on.  "We were attacked by Ms. Mah'vel.  Ah certainly didn' expect it, I dunno 'bout everyone else.  Since Ah was the only one in th'plane, I guess she figured she mahgt as well go fah me first.

"She picked me up and was flyin' away with me and Ah didn' know what t'do.  I didn' think I could evah explain why Ah was tryin' t'steal that plane and Ah knew she wouldn' evah believe me.  Ah knew Ah was in trouble.

"But then Ah heard Mystique's voice in the intah'com we were all connected with…an' she was tellin' me t'touch 'er."

Rogue's voice quavered and Logan could smell a mixture of tears, fear, guilt and self-hate emanating from the girl.

"So, Ah did.  Ah didn' think it would be fah longah than a few seconds, but Mystique told me not t'let go, so Ah just kept holdin' on.  The next thing Ah knew we were fallin' an' had hit the ground.  It…it didn' even hu't, and neither did Lance's kick when he told me t'get up.  Ah mean, Ah felt it, but it didn' hu't."

"How long did you have this Ms. Marvel's powers?" Logan asked gruffly, raising a brow at her.

Her answer was long in coming, and her voice shaky and weak when it finally did.  "Ah still have them.  She's in mah head an' Ah still have her powers.  Ah saved her from the Brothah'hood and took her to a hospital, but her mem'ries are still insahde me and Ah still have her powers."

The tears finally did come, and Rogue pressed her eyes into her knees as Logan put a consoling hand on her back, not sure how much comfort it would give.  He inhaled deeply, releasing the air from his lungs slowly as he let the meaning of Rogue's words sink in.

_I still have her powers._

Logan had the feeling that the Professor was going to have a hay day with Rogue when they got back to the Institute.  She'd been a bad enough mental case before this latest scheme of the Brotherhood's, but now…now Logan wondered if the girl would ever be able to live a normal life.

When her tears were finally done, Rogue turned her head to face away from Logan, still pillowing her cheek atop her knees.  She adjusted her arms around her legs, tightening their grip as she tried to make herself as small as possible.  Logan sighed regretfully, knowing he needed to go on, but wishing he could give the girl's emotions a rest.  Still, there was one more thing that needed explaining.

"Why were you in the middle of the road?" he asked directly.

He felt Rogue shudder underneath his hand, which still rested on her back.  Her whole body was tense.  He wondered how she ever relaxed enough to fall asleep.  Xavier certainly had his work cut out for him.

"Ah'm not sure," she finally answered without looking at him.  "Ah was flyin' through the air when suddenly Ah was…Ah dunno-attacked, Ah guess, by Ms. Mah'vel's memories.  Ah lost control an' fell."

Attacked by her memories?  For as long as he had known the young Mutant, Logan had never known her to talk about any of the people she'd absorbed actually attacking her.  Haunting her?  All the time.  Causing her nightmares?  More than once.  But actually attacking her?  Never.  Although it wasn't something he'd ever done before, Logan prayed for the girl and that Charles had the means to help her through her trauma.  She was going to need all the help she could get.

Rogue sat up suddenly, her eyes wide, mouth agape, a look of pure terror on her face.  Trying to keep an eye on the road and still keep track of Rogue, Logan took a tight grip on her shoulder, not sure what was going on.

She screamed, gripping her head with both hands and rocking her body back and forth.  Immediately Logan pressed the brake, slowing the truck and pulling it over to the side of the road.  He shut the engine off and then turned to face his charge fully.

"Rogue, what's wrong?" he demanded feeling completely helpless, his most despised state of being.

She didn't answer him, though, or couldn't, perhaps.  Still screaming, rocking her body around, shaking her head, which was still gripped between her hands, she began to yell at some unseen opponent.

"Get **out** of my head!  Go **away**!  Ah won't let you…won't let you!  Leave me **alone**!  **Lemme be**!"

There was only one conclusion that Logan could come to and it went back to what Rogue had just told him.  Ms. Marvel's memories were attacking again, which meant there was nothing more for Logan to do than sit and wait for it to be over.

The assault continued for what could only have been a few moments, but what felt like an eternity.  Finally, Rogue's eyelids drooped, her whole body relaxed into a slump and she lost consciousness once again.  Supporting the Mutant's body, Logan settled her against the passenger door trying to make her as comfortable as possible.  When there was nothing else left that he could do, he leaned back and shook his head.  At least, for now, it was over.  Well, he hoped it was.  By the look on her face she was already having a doozy of a nightmare.

Doing the only thing for her that he could think of, Logan turned the key in the ignition, starting the engine.  After revving it a couple of times he shifted it into gear and started on down the road again.  The sooner he could get her back to Xavier and the Institute, the better.

Remy had to admit that he actually found his companions, well, companionable during their trip to New York.  Evan had spent all his time at the controls with Ororo, observing, taking notes, learning whatever he could during the flight and better acquainting himself with the workings of the control panel.  He was an eager student, at least when it came to flying the _Blackbird_, and Ororo was more than willing to answer any questions he posed to her.  The only thing she didn't allow him to do was to take control of the plane himself, no matter how much he persuaded, begged or wheedled.  She softly, but firmly reminded him that he needed to log the man hours in the simulator and pass the required tests before he would even get close to flying the huge craft himself one day.

"Don't worry Evan, you'll get your turn," Jean encouraged the young man.  "Just keep practicing and studying."

"Heh, I know," Evan turned in the swiveling chair to grin sheepishly at the red head.  "I've aced every test Auntie O has thrown at me!"

At that admittance he grinned proudly.

"Hey," Jubilee jumped in, "She just doesn't want you killing our new student before he even gets a chance to see the mansion."

Evan rolled his eyes good-naturedly at Jubilee's comment as she and Jean giggled and laughed.  Remy found himself smiling at the interaction between the three, their easy banter pulling him into their circle of friendship almost subtly.

"An' from what you guys been tellin' me 'bout dis Institute, I be disappointed wit' Heaven if I had t'go dere instead," he transitioned himself in with their conversation smoothly.

"When I die, I'm not going to Heaven," Evan informed.  "I'll just haunt the Institute for the rest of my afterlife!  It probably _is_ better than heaven."

"Well, if the institute is heaven, then the Danger Room is hell," Jubilee commented.

Jean groaned with agreement, but Evan seemed to have his own idea.  "Nah, the Danger Room's a cake walk," he objected.

"At least since Logan's been gone," Jean put in with nods of accord from her companions.

"If the Institute is heaven then the Brotherhood's boarding house is hell," Evan reported smugly, adding, "And Pietro is the devil himself."

"Nuh uh," Jubilee disagreed.  "Mystique is the devil.  That woman is just plain _evil_."

"Well, if Mystique is the devil, does that make Xavier…God?" Jean joked.

"And Auntie O is Mother Nature!" Evan smirked at Ororo.

The look the older woman sent her nephew was less than amused, but the rest of the kids seemed to be enjoying the metaphor they were creating.

"Well, den, if you all live in Heaven, dat mus' make you angels," Remy suggested to them.

Jubilee blushed, looking away and Jean blushed too, but smiled boldly and confidently back at him.  Evan laughed out right at the idea, though it sounded as if he did actually like it.

"And the Brotherhood are all devils?" Jean finished the allegory.

Jubilee giggled.  "Can't you just picture them running around with little devils horns and tails and pitchforks!?"

Obviously, Evan and Jean could as they joined in with Jubilee's giggles.  The scene, however, was lost on Remy, who had no idea who or what the Brotherhood was.

"Can't wait to run that one by Kurt when we get home," Evan said as his laughter faded.

"So, what about you?  Where do you come from?" Jean looked directly at Remy and asked.

He raised his eyebrows as he looked between the two girls who eagerly awaited his answer.  Already, Evan had turned back to the control panel with Ororo, once again engaged in learning the techniques of flying the _Blackbird_.  Taking a moment to inhale deeply and release it, Remy spread his hands before him and gave his answer.

"Well, if de Institute is Heaven, and dis Brudderhood's place is hell, den where Remy come from mus' be de earth in between."

Once again he watched as the two girls laughed at what he said and exchanged looks with each other.  "Come on," Jubilee urged, "seriously."

Remy chuckled and nodded.  "A'ight, seriously.  I come from de wondah'ful worl' o' N'Orleans."

'New Orleans?" Jubilee asked in clarification.

"Dat's what I said," he confirmed.

"Say it again," Jubilee grinned at him.

"N'Orleans," Remy repeated for her, getting a kick out of the way she reacted to his dialect.

"What are you mutant powers?" came Jean's next question.

Well, he'd asked them all that back at the restaurant.  It was only fair they asked the same of him, now.

"Well, is kinda hard t'explain," he told her, "But Remy try, jus' for you, chère."

He winked at her and she smiled back with her usual poise, waiting patiently and politely for him to continue.

"I make t'ings 'splode," he explained.

"How do you do that?" Jubilee inquired.

Remy shrugged.  "I dun really know.  I just take an object in my hand…well, usually in my hand, dough I can use any part o' my body.  An' I concentrate on dat object and somehow I do somet'ing to it dat makes it 'splode."

"Seatbelts," Ororo called back suddenly to her passengers, breaking the conversation.  "We're about to land."

Immediately, Jubilee and Jean turned in their seats and secured their safety belts around themselves.  Leaning back, Remy followed suit as his gaze turned to the large view screen stretched across the front of the plane.  It showed a wonderful view of New York in the late evening with the sun having just set and all the stars twinkling in the darkened sky.  As Ororo flew the _Blackbird_ in closer to their destination Bayville zoomed by in a rush of lights, the passing scenery slowing as they approached the infamous Mansion Remy had been hearing so much about.

He had to wonder where they would store the huge aircraft, but he figured, as had already happened so many times, that he would find out soon enough.  And soon enough he did as a gaping whole in the side of a cliff that marked one edge of the grounds surrounding the Mansion opened and Ororo guided the _Blackbird_ in smoothly, setting it down in the huge, metal lined cavern that served to house the craft.  They all sat patiently while Evan worked through the shut down procedures.  When Ororo was satisfied with his work she led the way out of the _Blackbird_.  Evan offered to carry Remy's duffel bag once again, but he declined, assuring the friendly boy that he could handle it himself.

Artificial lights lit the way as they traveled through a tunnel system with the same metallic walls as the hangar.  Ororo and Evan discussed what he had done well during his starting up and shutting down of the _Blackbird_ and what he needed to work on.  Jean and Jubilee walked on either side of him, chatting and chuckling with him lightly as they went.

Eventually they reached a door and Ororo pressed a sequence into the small keypad located on the wall next to it, which slid open to allow them entrance.  The new hallway they entered into looked very much the same as the one they had just exited, but Remy got the feeling that something here was different.

"You may all go eat.  The rest of the day is yours," Ororo addressed her three students.

"Hey man, check ya later," Evan said, clasping hands with the Cajun.

"See ya around," Jean added, and Jubilee waved as the two followed Evan down the hall.

"Welcome to the Institute," Ororo said to Remy as they started back down the hall again.

"You guys are some crazy people," Remy chuckled.

Ororo smiled amusedly at his comment, but didn't respond to it.

"I'm going to take you to meet Professor Xavier.  He's the man who made all of this possible," she continued.

"He's a mutant too, I take it," Remy voiced.

"Yes," Ororo confirmed with a nod, "He's also better qualified to tell you everything about the Institute than I am."

They were approaching another door that slid open to reveal an elevator and the two stepped inside.  The ride was smooth and quiet as they waited to reach wherever Ororo had in mind for them.  The elevator stopped with an effortlessness that elevators weren't known for and the door slid open again.  Ororo took lead once more as she led him down halls that were now wood paneled and exquisitely decorated.  Tapestries, paintings, sculptures and more had been placed about the Mansion with an eye for art.  Remy wondered, with a houseful of teenagers, how many of these items ended up ruined.

Once again, Ororo stopped them in front of a door, and turned to him.  "I think you'll fit in well here at the Institute," she told him solemnly, catching his eyes with her own for a moment.  But then the moment was over and she opened the door and gestured for him to enter, following him inside once he had and closing the door behind them.

Sitting almost expectantly behind a large, wood desk was a bald man in a wheel chair.  This had to be Professor Xavier.  He gestured for Remy to have a seat while Ororo placed herself in a corner chair out of direct conversation.  Still, the Professor addressed her before actually speaking to Remy.

"I've called Hank, he should be here soon.  He said that he just needed to finish up what it was that he was working on in the lab," Xavier informed her.

Ororo responded with a nod and a smile that Remy thought looked a little knowing.  He wasn't sure how to interpret that, but he also didn't really have the time at this point, for Xavier was speaking to him now.

"Welcome, Remy.  My name is Charles Xavier.  I hope everything has been pleasant for you so far."

Remy nodded slowly.  "Oui, it has been.  You know how t'treat un homme en bonne santé.  De students are nice, too."

Xavier smiled warmly.  "I know Ororo has probably explained a little bit about what we do here.  I hope I can do a better job on my own, and please feel free to ask any questions you might have."

"Den where can I get one of dose planes?" Remy joked.

Charles chuckled.  "You'll just have to stick around," he returned, making Remy smile.

At that point the door behind Remy opened and both Xavier and Ororo looked to the entering person with a smile of friendly familiarity.  Remy turned around in his chair to see who had come in and had to catch himself before he ended up on the floor.  He tried not to look as completely shocked as he felt at seeing a massive, blue furry…thing closing the door behind itself.  A massive, blue furry thing that was chuckling.

"Once again my appearance is nothing less than shocking," the creature's voice was soothing and gentle, a complete contrast to his appearance.

"Remy, this is Hank McCoy, one of the Institute's staff members," Xavier introduced with amusement coloring his voice.

"Bonjour," Remy greeted with a small bow of his head.

"Bonjour, comment allez vous?" McCoy returned expertly.

Remy smiled.  "Très bien, merci.  Et toi?"

"Très bien, aussi, merci," McCoy's smile was teasing.

Hank took a place near to Ororo, although he preferred to crouch on the floor rather then sit in a seat like the rest of the room's occupants.

"People like Hank is one of the reasons I started this school," Xavier started, using Hank's appearance as an opener.  "It would be hard for him to survive in the human's world, near impossible, even.  But here he has a sanctuary, as do many other mutants, young and old, who need a place where they know they will be safe.  I hope by building this school I have provided that for many students."

"I know Kurt would say you have," Hank offered.

Xavier nodded in agreement with his associate.  "Kurt and many more.  The students come here to learn about and come to terms with their mutant abilities.  Hopefully, one day we will be able to show ourselves to the world of humans without fear of hurting them or being hurt by them."

Remy nodded as he listened, thinking of all the times people had mistreated him and all because of something so small as the color of his eyes.

"Unfortunately, not all mutants think like that.  There is a small faction, led by a powerful mutant, who believes quite differently.  Their belief is that Homo superiors'-mutants-divine destination is to rule the world over Homo sapiens one day and he is working hard to see that dream become a reality.

"We, on the other hand, are working hard to oppose him and keep his goal from being realized.  I have believed, since I discovered my own mutant abilities, that human and mutant kind can live in harmony without fear of each other.  We have a long way to go in order to make that possible, but the journey will be worth it.

"We have asked you to join us, Remy LeBeau and the choice is yours to make freely.  As Ororo told you, we will take you anywhere you want to go if you decide not to stay, but we hope your decision will keep you with us."

Remy didn't answer immediately.  His gaze swept over the three adults looking at him with patient expectation.  What Xavier had said, he had to admit, sounded ideal.  He couldn't wait to see the day when people wouldn't shy away from him after looking in his eyes.  It sounded almost too good to be true.

But that was all beside the point.  He was here for a reason: because the Guild Father had sent him to scope this place out.  He really didn't have a choice whether he would stay or not; it had already been decided.  Slowly he began to nod his head, continuing with the role he was playing to make them believe.

"Sounds nice," he told them all.  "I 't'ink mebbe I can give it a try."

All three smiled, happy and relieved.  "Good choice, Mr. LeBeau.  You are now, officially, an X-Man."

The Professor reached across the desk to shake hands with Remy, who stood to accept the offer.  Hank was by his side immediately, carefully taking up his duffel bag in one huge, clawed hand.

"If you'll follow me, I'll show you to your room and give you a preemptory tour of the Mansion," he invited.

Sounds good t'me," he replied as he followed the gentle giant out.

Logan had been driving hard all day as Rogue had passed the time in fitful sleep.  He stopped only to fill up on gas and every so often gave himself time to answer nature's call, though on one trip he had purchased a box of doughnuts.  Those he had munched on all day as he sped down the interstate and waited for his companion to wake up.  They were all gone now and the day had darkened into night.  Up ahead he could see the lights of an approaching town and he immediately glanced at the gas gauge.  It was fine though, half a tank still.  They could make it a little farther.

A moan from Rogue signaled her rousing and Logan watched her out of the corner of her eye as she went painfully through the process of awakening.  She sat up then leaned her arms on her legs and her head in her hands.  Her hair hung around her, wild and unkempt.

"How ya feeling?" he asked her.

She groaned in response.  He kept glancing at her as they began to enter the outskirts of the small town.  She didn't move from the position she had taken up.

"You hungry?" he asked as he saw the upcoming restaurant signs brilliant in the night sky.

She didn't answer at first, and then only nodded when she did.  Pulling into the parking lot of the first restaurant they came to, a Perkins, he parked and turned off the truck.  They both climbed out, Rogue taking her time to unwind herself and step gingerly out of the cab.  For some reason, though he wasn't sure why, Logan noticed that Rogue was still wearing the same black leather cat suit she'd been wearing when he'd found her.  Well, it was one last day of driving and then they would be back home.

Looking at her face was almost a shock.  Rogue had never had a sunny disposition, but her pale skin, bloodshot eyes and haunted expression were still a surprise to see.  She ran her hand through her hair to get it out of her eyes and then washed it across her face, not that it helped any.  She was a mess and Logan had to respect her for doing the best she could with the life that had been forced upon her.

As they entered the restaurant Rogue winced at the glare of the lights and put a hand over her eyes to shield them.  Logan let his hand rest briefly on one tense shoulder as she he looked around for an employee, not sure what else he could do.

It wasn't long before they were seated and had ordered drinks and food.  Rogue had vehemently ordered coffee, straight up, but had allowed Logan to order her meal for her.  He had a feeling that she didn't care what it was she ate, as long as it was food.

"Ah been out all day, huh?" she asked when the waitress was gone.

Logan nodded.  "I was beginning to get worried about you."

"You, worry?  Ah don't believe it," she cracked.

He ignored it; knew she was just trying to take the unwanted attention from herself.

"I take it you were having some pretty bad nightmares," he commented.

She looked him straight in the eyes with her own bloodshot ones, conveying a "what was your first clue" expression.  The waitress stopped by to offer them their coffee and Rogue took a deep swallow of hers immediately despite the warning from the waitress that it was hot.

"When Ah woke up…Ah wasn't sure who Ah was, cause of all the mem'ries runnin' through my head," she spoke this time without Logan having to prod her.  "Ah was Cody, Kurt, Kitty, Sabretooth.  Ah was Carol Danver's fah the longest tahme.  That was actually nahce.  She had a wonderful lahfe.  S'too bad Ah had t'take it away from her."

What Logan was supposed to say to that, he had no idea.  He never had been good at offering advice or playing the comforter.  But it seemed Rogue didn't want comfort, just someone to listen.

"And then Ah was fin'lly me again.  It took forevah t'remember who Ah was, where Ah was, what had happened in my lahfe and my lahfe alone.  All those mem'ries sharin' my brain are pretty packed in there.  They lahke t'have their own tahme to be themselves.  It's not easy keeping them in ordah."

Logan grunted a response, not really having anything else to say.  Besides, all she needed to know was that he was listening, so that's what he gave her.

"Carol, though, she's still talking insahde my head.  You should hear some of the things she has t'say," she paused to shake her head and chuckle cynically.  "On the othah hand, you don't wanna know.  She's not a very happy campah."

Logan narrowed his eyes in concern at the girl whose stare was directed at her coffee mug and the table.  She hadn't looked up the whole time, except that once, and her face was hidden in shadows.

"Carol…talks…to you?" he inquired.

Rogue nodded as she absently swirled her coffee in its mug.  "Yep.  She's pretty pissed at me fah what Ah did t'her."

"And the attacks?" Logan questioned,

Rogue shrugged, finishing off her first mug of coffee.  "She wants t'take control of my body.  Says Ah owe it to'er fah stealin' her lahfe.  She's fahghtin' hardest when she attacks me with'er mem'ries."

The waitress interrupted again to drop off their meals and refill their coffee mugs.  Logan dug in immediately, his stomach having long forgotten the doughnuts.  But Rogue nibbled her food, eating it at her own pace and discretion.  Nothing was said as they consumed the food Logan had ordered for them, Logan too busy satisfying his belly and Rogue occupied with who knew what.

Pushing his empty plate away before Rogue was even half finished with her meal Logan watched his companion for a while before making an offer.  "You got a headache," he stated.  "I'll go get you some aspirin."

She merely nodded as he rose to go, leaving a twenty on the table in case the waitress came by with the bill.  He wasn't sure if leaving her alone was a good idea, but he needed to kill time while she finished eating.  Sitting there and watching her was just too painful.  There was a gas station on the corner of the street adjacent to the restaurant and that's where Logan went to pick up the medication.  He took his time looking through the pharmaceuticals, picking the strongest one he could find.

He paid for his purchase and headed back to the restaurant.  Rogue had already decided she'd had enough to eat when he got back to the booth.  Her fries were mostly gone and she'd made an attempt at the hamburger, though most of it was untouched.  He placed the pills on the table in front of her and she immediately snatched them up again.  Logan checked his watch as she popped a couple of the pills into her mouth and swallowed them dry.  They'd been here for forty-five minutes already, and though he didn't want to push her, he also wanted to get going and return to the Mansion as soon as possible.  Still, they wouldn't leave until she was ready.

"Let me know when you're ready to go," he voiced.

She nodded and then leaned forward, elbows on the table, face in her hands.  Too bad he didn't have the mutant abilities the Professor and Jean had.  All he had was his adamantium skeleton and claws and advanced healing factor…

Logan thought hard the next few moments about the idea that had entered his head.  He knew she'd never allow it if he told her straight out what he had planned.  And he didn't really want to put anything more in her head.  She was having a hard enough time with what was already there.  But she looked like she was fighting a losing battle and needed an edge.  Logan knew, if he put his plan into action, that he could give her that leading edge.

Slowly he reached his hand out towards her.  She didn't notice, wasn't even paying attention to him.  Just one passing touch was all he needed.  He hesitated for a moment, part of him absolutely afraid, part of him wondering what it would be like.  But then, quickly, briefly, he let his fingertips brush the bare skin of her one exposed hand.

She sat up immediately, gasping, her eyes wide and staring at Logan.  He held his guilty hand in the other, rubbing the fingertips where the contact had taken place.  He didn't think in his entire life that he'd ever be able to describe what touching her had been like.  And that had only been a split second for him.  Who knew what Danvers had gone through?

"Ya shouldn't have done that," she told him, her eyes still wide as she gave him a wary look.

"I was just…trying to help," he told her.  "Your headaches gone, isn't it?"

She nodded slowly.  He could tell by how much more lively her face looked that the pain in her head had been half the problem.

"You just looked like you needed some help," he tried again.

"Well, next tahme…" she paused, shaking her head.  "No, there won't be a next tahme.  Jus' don't do it again, okay?"

He nodded.  "Promise."

She slumped back in the booth, exhaling loudly.  Glancing at her plate, she picked up a few of the remaining fries and munched on them, looking thoughtful.

"How was everyone…back home befo' ya left?" she asked, trying to sound nonchalant and not looking at him at all.

Logan shrugged.  "Depressed.  They all missed you."

Her eyes flicked in his direction at the piece of information he had just given her.

"Really?  They did?"

Logan nodded.  "Yep, and reeking of so much grief that my only choices were to stay there and put up with them or set out and find you.  It's pretty obvious what my decision was."

She breathed a short laugh as she polished off her fries and he detected a hint of a smile trying to spread across her mouth.

"Ya know, the sooner we get going again, the sooner we'll get back to them," he reminded as he leaned forward on the table.

She looked at him directly now then smiled for real.  "Well, let's go then."

They both filed out of the booth.  The bill was resting folded on the twenty Logan had left on the table earlier.  He didn't bother to look at it.  The simple math he did in his head told him it would be enough plus a generous tip for the waitress.  Logan didn't feel like being so generous very often.

And then it was back on the road again, Bayville or bust.


	8. Shelter, give them shelter from the comi...

Title:  _The House of the Rising Sun_, Chapter 4

Author: Goddess Evie

Date:  November 18, 2002

Genre:  Romance (Remy/Rogue, Scott/Jean, Lance/Kitty), Action, Drama, Angst, AU, heck, it's got it all…just not all in one chapter.  ^_^

Rating: G, and I really don't think this'll get above PG.

Disclaimer:  I do NOT own X-Men of any incarnation.  I am but a poor, fanatical, poor, college student who much enjoys a show so that she writes extensive (and hopefully intriguing, enjoyable, and highly popular) fanfiction to feed her insatiable hunger for anything X-Men and is poor, if I haven't mentioned that already.  Also, the song lyric I use as the title doesn't belong to me either.  I'm quoting the song "Shelter" by Sarah McLachlan, my absolute favorite-est artist in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD!!!  Which is why you shouldn't be surprised when you see so many of her song lyrics as Chapter titles, though I AM trying to throw some variety in there, I swear!  But, sadly, I own nothing but the plot so don't sue me cause I can't even pay for college!  WAAAAH!

Summary:  A short one, but necessary.  Well, in this chapter, the Brotherhood finally arrives home to quite a surprise.  And Remy gets incorporated into life at the Mansion.  I also really meant to have Rogue and Logan arrive home this chapter, but it just didn't end up working out that way, so, you'll just have to wait until next chapter.  I'm sure you won't have a problem with that now, will you? Heheh.  Once again, don't know how fast I'll get the next chapter out, because it's coming up on the end of the school year so I'm starting to have less and less time.  But it'll come eventually, I promise.  *crosses heart, but doesn't hope to die…hopes to have the chance to write*

Chapter 5:  "Shelter-give them shelter from the coming storm." (2)

Lance wasn't sure how they had made it, but finally they were home.  The bus ride had been hell.  They'd had just enough for tickets for all of them, but they'd gone hungry the entire time.  Fred's constant complaining about starving to death had gotten old real fast and Pietro hadn't been able to keep still.  He was the worst case of ADD in the history of the world.  Toad had tried to keep them all amused by suggesting different games they could play, but they hadn't any cards or anything and the mind games were only fun for a couple of rounds before you were ready to quit.

Pietro had zipped off ahead of them for the boarding house the minute they'd stepped off the bus, not waiting for any of his teammates.  Not that the rest of them really missed the boy.  Part of his mutant gift of his speed was his tendency to get annoying real fast.

The boarding house looked different…better, even quite inviting, which was unusual.  Perhaps, though, it was just the maddening bus ride and long walk from the station that made it look so good to Lance.  Then again, he couldn't remember when it looked so neat and homey.  

Stepping up to the front door, Lance let out a sigh as he put his hand on the knob, twisted and pulled.  Finally, he was home and could relax.  No more pointless missions, no more being bossed around by Mystique, no more having to baby-sit Rogue. He could shut himself off from the rest of his teammates in his room and be alone for once.

"Hey, yo, this place looks different," Todd commented, causing Lance to look around.

What he found was that Todd was right.  The place was, well, clean.  No one in the Brotherhood Boarding House ever cleaned.  As he wandered from room to room he noticed it was all fixed up, too.  No more holes in the walls, lights burned out, leaky faucets.  The stains on the walls and counters were gone, the carpets looked like they'd been shampooed and vacuumed periodically, the kitchen put into order.

"The fridge is even stocked!" Fred bellowed out as he began loading his arms with food.

Lance walked into the living room where Pietro was sitting on the couch, flipping through TV channels at breakneck speed and munching on a sandwich, his feet propped up on the now spotless coffee table.  Lance flopped down next to the boy with a sigh.

"This is nice.  Are you sure we're at the right house?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, check your room.  It's still completely the same," Pietro assured him.

"Then…how?" Lance inquired.

"How do you think?" a very annoyed feminine voice asked.

Pietro and Lance looked over to see Tabitha and Wanda standing in the entryway to the front room, Tabitha with her hands on her hips, Wanda glaring at them both evilly.  They walked forward into the room, Wanda kicking her brother's feet off the coffee table roughly.

"We've been working our asses off to make this place livable and we won't have you ruining it," she growled at the two.

"Hey, we just got back.  Give us a break!" Lance protested.

"And we just got off work!  We were hoping to come home to a nice relaxing evening, but instead we find you guys!" Tabitha shot back.

"Work?" Pietro sniggered.  "You guys have been working?"

Pietro got a double dose of evil glares from the girls.  "That sandwich you're eating is courtesy of us," Wanda informed him in a sickeningly sweet voice.

"Uh, thanks sis," Pietro said, avoiding his sibling's gaze.

Unfortunately for Fred, it was that moment which he picked to enter the living room, his arms laden with foodstuffs.  He looked at his teammates, gaze traveling between the girls and the guys, not liking the angry glares.

"Great!" Tabitha exclaimed.  "Now we're going to have to buy groceries on a _daily_ basis!"

"What?  I'm hungry!" Fred protested, a hurt look on his face.

"Todd!" Wanda called out.  "Get your slimy ass in here!"

Todd hopped into the living room to join the rest of his housemates, depositing himself into an overstuffed chair where he splayed himself until he received warning looks from the girls and sat up right.

"So, uh, what did you want, yo?" Todd asked, trying to sound cheerful.

"Wanda and I," the girls looked at each other with proud smiles, then with warningly angry glares back to the invaders of their house, "have been working all summer to clean this place up, pay off the debt of bills and make it livable."

Wanda took over, her angry eyes holding that slightly insane look, "But that was before all of _you_ came back.  We aren't going to support all of you, too."

"Especially when we have school starting in the next couple of days," Tabitha added.

"So," Wanda put on a smug smile, which only made her look all the more scary, "All of you better go out and find yourselves jobs by the end of the week."

"But how are we supposed to fight the X-Men!?" Pietro protested.

"You can figure that one out on your own," Tabitha assured him.

Pietro gave a sullen glare, but kept quiet.  Looking around the room and catching the gaze of each young man to make sure she got the point across, Wanda dismissed them with, "That's all."  Todd was gone immediately, as was Fred, neither one brave enough to stick around while the girls were in a pissy mood.  Pietro and Lance stayed on the couch, sharing a defeated look.

"Man, they're like mini Mystiques," Pietro commented.

Lance nodded in agreement.

"We heard that," Wanda told them as she passed out of the room and up the stairs, making both boys cringe.

"Speaking of Mystique, has she been back, yet?" Lance asked, looking over to where Tabitha had flopped herself down on the stuffed armchair Todd had previously occupied.

Tabitha nodded, rolling her eyes.  "She sure has.  Wasn't too happy about you guys losing Rogue like that."

Both boys winced.  "Please, don't remind us," Lance begged.

Tabitha shook her head.  "Look.  Personally, I'm glad she got away.  She didn't deserve what Mystique put her through," the girl admitted.

"Yeah, well, it's too late now," Lance sighed.

"Doesn't make it any less wrong than before," Tabitha told him.

"Also doesn't mean we can go back and change it.  What's done is done," Pietro replied.

Tabitha shrugged, her only admittance that he was right on that point.  "So, what _did_ happen?  Mystique wasn't exactly forthcoming on that point."

Both boys looked at each other then shook their heads, neither wanting to speak about it, either.  Tabitha narrowed her eyes at the boys, though whether it was out of concern or something else they couldn't be sure.  Then, with a sigh, she rose and headed upstairs.

"I thought everything was going to be easier, maybe even better, when we got back," Lance admitted to his companion, leaning his head on the back of the couch and closing his eyes.

"No such luck," Pietro told him,  "No such luck."

Remy was up and dressed the next morning hours before he would usually arise.  He had a full day ahead of him, which dictated his early rising hour.  Everyone else was sleeping in as much as they could on this, one of their last days of summer freedom.  Unfortunately, he had to start school early.  Since he hadn't brought any records with him, today he and Ororo were going to the local high school, Bayville High, to register him and get him signed up for classes.  Remy wasn't sure how he was going to handle high school, since he'd never finished back in New Orleans, but he would do his best, since he was trying to fit in.

He was up at eight and he left with Ororo at ten, driving through Bayville in her white convertible.  By that time a few of the students had risen, groggily wiping sleep from their eyes as they had dragged themselves from bed to the breakfast table to start their day.  Remy had envied them, not because they'd been able to sleep in, but because they'd been able to sleep period.

With his thief instincts he had a natural sense of suspicion in unfamiliar territory, and though the Mansion was probably one of the safest places that Remy could be, and he knew it, it still counted as unfamiliar territory.  He hadn't been able to get a wink of sleep because of it.  His senses had been on alert all night, and he wasn't sure how long it would take for him to get used to these new surroundings.  He had heard every bump, every creak; his eyes had constantly watched the shadows caused by the moonlight, his gaze flitting to them every time the wind shook the tree branches.

But that wasn't the only cause for his sleeplessness.  All night, no matter how hard he had tried not to, he couldn't get _her_ out of his head.  Finally, he'd just had to admit to himself that, in the short time he had known her, he had fallen for her, totally and completely.  Bella and the thieves' guild be damned, he was in love with the mysterious Rogue, and he'd probably never even see her again.  Every thought had been focused on her, every fantasy.  His mind had taken the freedom to create a picture of her for him to admire, whether his eyes had been opened or closed, and he hadn't tried to stop it after he had given in.  In fact, he'd given it more incentive by thinking of the wonderful things he could do with her, and thinking back on those fantasies now made him grin.

"You find something amusing?" Ororo asked him congenially when they were stranded at an intersection waiting for the light to change.

Remy wiped the smirk off his face and turned away to hide the blush that seemed so foreign to his cheek as he uttered a, "Non."

Ororo hadn't said anything more, and he didn't see the quizzical eyebrow she had raised in his direction.  But neither did he care, nor would he have even had he seen the expression on her face.  The light turned green, Ororo focused on her driving again, and Remy watched Bayville go by as he thought of Rogue.

All too soon they arrived at the school, and Remy forced his thoughts away from the young woman who had him so enraptured and turned them to the task ahead.  First, they had to get him registered, and Remy answered questions he usually wouldn't reveal the answers to under the worst torture conditions.  It took all his will power to give the information readily and when he was done he felt like he'd been put through the wringer.

After that, since they had no records of his previous high school career, he had to take placement tests and those had taken him into the afternoon to finish.  After that they had to wait for the results and then sign him up for his classes.  When he thought he couldn't wait any longer, and as a thief he'd learned the art of patience, his assigned guidance counselor, a cheerful lady in her mid-thirties, finally arrived to tell him that he would be taking junior level classes and then proceeded to register him for the courses he'd need to take.  Then she handed him a whole stack of papers and proceeded to explain what each and every one was.  The sheet on top was his class schedule, the next few sheets being maps to the different levels and grounds of the school, after that had come the supply list he'd need for each class as dictated by the teachers of the class, and then a paper to explain how the lunch schedule worked and last of all, if he made the choice to utilize the public school transportation system, a bus schedule that showed him which bus to catch where according to where he lived in relation to the school.

By the time they finally left, Remy felt like his head was spinning.  He remembered, now, why he had dropped out of school to take up thieving full time.  His stomach was also showing signs of hunger and he rubbed it as he and Ororo returned to the car.  She must have noticed, since they stopped in at a drive through before returning to the Institute.

Remy was just finishing his meal when they pulled up to the Mansion.  The Cajun made sure he had all his papers and trash as he exited the vehicle and then followed Ororo into the Mansion.  Ororo, for her part, didn't stop walking or even slow down as she began to give him his next instructions.

"Take some time to change into some work out clothes and then meet me by the elevator."

Remy turned off and headed to his room, ridding himself of his food packaging as he went.  He'd hoped that he would have been given the rest of the day off to do whatever he wanted.  But Ororo, it seemed, wasn't finished with him yet.  It took him just a few moments to change from his jeans, boots and t-shirt into a wife-beater, tie string gym pants, and sneakers.  He pulled his hair out of his eyes and into a ponytail as he headed down to the elevator and as he did he noticed the lack of students.  Of course, it was mid-afternoon and teen-agers usually had fun to have around this time of day.

He heard laughter as he passed a door that was slightly ajar, the sounds of a television intermingling.  It wasn't open enough for him to actually see into, but that didn't matter since he already had a prior destination.  Still, he couldn't help being curious about the other residents of the Institute, especially when they seemed so scarce whenever he was around.

But there was a time for everything and he was bound to meet them eventually.  Right now his time was Ororo's and she was up ahead, waiting for his arrival.  The elevator must have been waiting because it opened the moment she pushed the button and once again Remy found himself sharing the lift with the African woman.  Thankfully, she didn't wait long to explain to him what she had planned.

"We're going to run some tests," she began, but then amended her statement when she saw the look he gave her.  "We want you to show off for us."

Remy grinned.  He could do that.

Ororo continued to explain what would be required of him as they finished the elevator ride and entered into the metal lined halls once again.  Ahead, Remy could see McCoy and the Professor waiting for them in front of a huge, circular door, metal to stay consistent with the rest of the hallway, and crossed with a huge X.

"Remy, I suspect Ororo has been filling you in on what we want you to do?" Charles guessed, turning his greeting into a question with a small inflection in his voice.

"Oui, she has.  Sounds fun," he replied with a signature grin.

Charles smiled.  "Alright, then shall we begin?"

The Professor wheeled off, leaving Remy standing in front of the large X door with Ororo and Hank.

"What you are about to see is very impressive.  I was left in speechless awe after my first time," Hank commented conversationally.

"What is it?" Remy inquired.

"This is what we call "The Danger Room"," Ororo answered solemnly.

"Sounds dangerous," Remy cracked to hide his uneasiness.

"Not at all, actually," Hank assured.  "We've set up numerous fail safes to keep harm from befalling any of our students."

"Trés bien," Remy sighed in relief.

With the hum of hydraulics, the circular, metal doors began to slide open, cutting off the conversation.  Remy watched with bated breath, not sure what to expect after all the talk he'd just heard.  He couldn't help feeling disappointed as he followed Ororo and Hank into a spacious room that matched the metal halls outside.  Remy noticed a mirror window high up in the corner of one wall, probably heavily reinforced, he guessed.  He also guessed that that was where the Professor was stationed and that it was some kind of control booth.  Although, what it was supposed to control in this empty room, Remy wasn't sure.

Hank and Ororo seemed to be waiting expectantly and that gave Remy the hint that perhaps there was more to this room then his alert gaze could find.  The disappointment he'd initially felt dissipated as the stark metal walls faded out and a war zone replaced them.  He turned to the two adult mutants, not sure what the expression on his face conveyed and waited for his orders.

"You and I are to escort Ororo from here, through the war zone to the other side, where a helicopter awaits to evac us all out of here," Hank was pointing at the sky on the opposite side of the battlefield where a helicopter was hovering a safe distance away from the action.  "We are to keep any harm from befalling her, nor should she have to use her powers to protect herself.  You pick our path through the fighting and we'll both do what we can to keep Ororo safe."

Remy nodded to show that he understood, then turned to Ororo and bowed with a flourish.  "Mademoiselle, if you will follow me," he threw a glance McCoy's way," and if you will watch her back."

"Gladly," Hank accepted as Ororo smiled amusedly.

Turning to face the fighting, Remy took a deep breath and headed forward into the fray.

It was late at night when Remy finally exited the Danger Room.  He'd spent the rest of the afternoon, the evening and into the night in that room, "showing off" for the Professor.  Many of the missions he was given he'd had to do on his own or with only one or two companions for help.  Once he had been joined by Evan, Jubilee and Jean, who he was to lead through a dangerous maze.  They'd all made it safely through, and Remy had put all their powers to the test.  Jubilee had felt a rush of pride when he'd had her use her powers to short circuit the electronic locks that guarded all the doors in the maze.

In other missions he would only have Hank or Ororo to be his companion, and once again he would have to use his thieves ingenuity to get himself and his partner out of sticky situations.  More than once he'd seen the impressed looks Hank or Ororo would send in his direction after finding a way out of what had seemed like impossible odds, and he couldn't help but grin proudly to himself at his achievements and the admiration he was receiving.

There were also the missions in which he would be all on his own, with only his own skills and mutant ability to rely on.  He knew that plenty of times he had used his experience as a thief to accomplish the task set for him, and he hoped that he wasn't show casing too much of his talent so that he ended up giving himself away.  But he never heard complaints or suspicious questions, just compliments and good jobs.

After spending what seemed like a week completing the missions and tasks set for him, Remy was finally allowed to be on his way.  Ororo escorted him back to the elevator, leaving him with a last few words of praise and the assurance that there was food left for him in the kitchen before the elevator doors closed and she returned to where McCoy and Xavier were waiting for him.  When the doors opened again on the main floor of the Mansion, Remy was only a little surprised to see that most of the lights had been turned off and the view out of the windows showed the starry expanse of the night sky.  For the most part, the mansion was asleep, and Remy felt his body giving him the suggestion that that was where he should be, also.

But he was also hungry, and felt dirty from the extensive workout.  So, his first stop was in the kitchen where the food Ororo had promised was waiting.  He found a plate piled high in the fridge among Tupperware full of leftovers, beverages and other perishables needing refrigeration.  A quick zap of the food in the microwave and Remy sat down in the expansive dining room, eating his dinner with only his own thoughts for company.

Except his mind wasn't up for much in the way of thinking.  Well, except for her of course.  But she was always on his mind somewhere.  The session in the Danger Room had taken all his concentration and knowledge, though, and so she was really the only thing his mind wanted to put any effort into.  He really couldn't say that he minded, however.  Any ruminations for her cause that his mind wanted to conjure were alright with him.

He finished his food and continued onto the showers for a quick turn.  The steaming water washing the sweat and work from his body felt good.  It also helped to loosen muscles tense from high strain and impossible situations.  He lived the life of a thief and had the body of a thief to go with it; usually relaxed and ready for anything, but when put into the right circumstances it tensed up, putting itself on high alert.  The Danger Room had been the right circumstances and he knew his body would take a few hours to unwind.

Toweling off and slipping into a clean pair of boxers and a white cotton t-shirt, Remy finally padded down the hallway to his room.  He didn't bother to turn on the light as he walked across to the bed and let himself flop down onto it.  Tonight he was so tired from all he'd been put through in the Danger Room that it took only a few minutes before he went to sleep.

"He's…good," was all Charles could say.

He, Ororo and Hank were all convened his office, each of them sporting a cup of coffee.  Xavier was behind his desk, Hank sitting on the couch set against one wall, and Ororo lounging on one of the chairs in front of Charles desk.  They'd just finished with Remy in the Danger Room, and were now discussing what they'd seen.

"There were times, during the missions when he was on his own, that he just seemed to disappear," Ororo commented, shaking her head in disbelief.

"The question is where did he learn it all?" Hank put in.

Xavier shook his head.  "I don't know.  I haven't had a chance to really talk with him, and I won't probe his mind, not without his permission."

"Maybe he learned it from living on the street.  He wouldn't be the first kid to do so," Ororo suggested.

"Sadly enough, it wouldn't be the first time," Hank's voice had a tone of agreement to it.

"That's only one possibility," Xavier told them.

"You have other suggestions?" Ororo inquired.

Xavier sighed.  "Not at this moment.  I just don't want to think we've got him figured out so soon."

"So then what do we do with him?" Hank asked.

"The same thing we've done with all the other students.  We give him a chance.  He deserves that at least and he hasn't shown himself to be dangerous in any way," Xavier answered.

"I want to put him on the team straight away.  I think he's proven himself.  And with Cyclops and…others absent, we need to think about adding new members," Ororo requested.

Nobody missed the slight hesitation concerning a certain missing mutant, but they decided, on some unspoken level, that it was best to not approach that subject.

"Go ahead and put him on the team.  I think he'll be an excellent addition," Xavier agreed.

Ororo was going to suggest that they all call it a night when the silent alarm went off, alerting them to a new presence on the grounds.  All at once they started for the front door, bodies tense and sense on the alert.  As they walked into the front foyer none of them were prepared for who they would be greeting.


	9. I'm in over my head

Title:  _The House of the Rising Sun_, Chapter 6

Author: Goddess Evie

Date: 12/31/2002

Genre:  Romance (Remy/Rogue, Scott/Jean, Lance/Kitty), Action, Drama, Angst, AU, heck, it's got it all…just not all in one chapter.  ^_^

Rating: G, and I really don't think this'll get above PG.

Disclaimer:  I do NOT own X-Men of any incarnation.  I am but a poor, fanatical, poor, college student who much enjoys a show so that she writes extensive (and hopefully intriguing, enjoyable, and highly popular) fanfiction to feed her insatiable hunger for anything X-Men and is poor, if I haven't mentioned that already.  Also, the song lyric I used as the title doesn't belong to me either.  I'm quoting the song "Over My Head" by Lit from the movie soundtrack "Titan A.E.".  Gods, I love that movie.  But, sadly, I own nothing but the plot so don't sue me cause I can't even pay for college!  WAAAAH!

Summary:  Rogue and Logan finally make it home.  Jean and Kitty run into someone unexpected at the mall and Remy meets the students of the Institute.

Author's notes:  Sorry, Remy and Rogue don't meet until next chapter, although I have part of it written out already.  I promise that it'll be the first thing I deal with next chapter, so just hang on.  I'm still trying to decide how I'm going to end that section, I have about three endings that I'm mulling over.  Anyways, I am still writing and working on this, slowly but surely.  I have more time now that school's out, but when I go back to school, and have to find a job, things'll get slower again.  But I won't give up, I promise!

Chapter 6:  "_I'm in over my head_."

Rogue hadn't slept since they'd left the restaurant.  Thanks to Logan her pounding headache, along with any other injury she'd still had, was gone.  Still, the journey through the New England states had been long and boring, each and every quaint town looking exactly like every other one.  The most interesting sight to look at had been the stars and after a little while even those had gotten old and boring.

Logan had become broodingly quiet after he had touched her at the restaurant.  She didn't blame him after she had yelled at him, but he just didn't understand.  How she'd had to fight back his jumble of memories, adding them to all the other ones she'd collected along the years of having her Mutant power.  Not to mention how dangerous a touch could be to the person she made contact with.  And after he had touched her, Carol had gone off in her head, yelling at him about how stupid his actions had been and nothing Rogue did could shut her up.

Since her mind had no other way to occupy itself, and she was looking for a distraction from Carol's rantings, her thoughts naturally turned to the Cajun she had met in New Orleans.  Interestingly enough, she found that she was less objectionable to amiable thoughts regarding Remy LeBeau.  Since she'd run into Logan, she really hadn't had time to think about the swamp rat and how he'd charmed her so easily with his southern mannerisms.  She hadn't realized how much she'd missed the culture of the Deep South until that fateful day at the bar in New Orleans.

He'd been so nice, so irresistible.  And being a Mutant himself, he hadn't cared about her Mutant status.  Although he really didn't have any idea what her Mutant powers were.  And when he did find out, he'd most likely lose interest.  But for now she'd just allow herself to daydream about him.  It gave her a sense of happiness when she did, and she couldn't remember the last time she'd let herself feel like that.  Not even her crush on Scott had given her such a feeling.

{And you'll probably never see him again,} Carol cut into her thoughts, sounding happy about reminding Rogue of this unhappy prospect.

Rogue scowled, putting all her effort into blocking Carol out.  She understood that the woman hated her.  Rogue would hate herself, too, if she'd done to herself what she'd done to Carol.  But maybe if the woman took a little time to try to understand Rogue, since she was stuck anyway, she might see that Rogue wasn't exactly the villain here.

"Bayville," Logan's gruff voice disrupted her thoughts.

Rogue turned her attention to the external, sitting up in order to look around.  What she saw made her breath to catch.  They were entering the outskirts of Bayville, just as Logan had said, on the opposite side of town than the Mansion was located.  There was the junkyard, where her horrible summer had begun.  She couldn't take her eyes off of it, despite the cold feeling its decimated sight gave her.

"They decided not to rebuild it.  It was just a junkyard, after all.  Chalked it up to an act of vandalism gone wrong," Logan spoke up unbidden.

She didn't respond, though.  She didn't have anything more that she wanted to say about the incident and she'd already told Logan her story.  She really didn't want to think about it anymore than she had to.  She dreaded having to repeat telling the dreadful events of the day to Xavier and everybody else at the school.  Talking or thinking about them anymore than necessary was something she refused to do.

They continued through the quiet streets of Bayville, passing sleepy houses and late night hangouts where drunks and people looking for a one-night stand were beginning to filter out into the night.  Rogue knew they were heading into familiar territory when they passed Bayville High School, dark and even a little creepy looking at this time of night.  But still, seeing the recognizable place again was a comfort to Rogue, as strange as the idea of a school being a comfort seemed.  The school had never been her favorite place; too many people in one location for her liking, but it was a sign that she was home, and that felt good.

Home.  The idea was a foreign one for Rogue.  She hadn't considered any place a home since before she'd developed her Mutant ability.  But the Mansion had become a sort of home for her.  She was liked there by many people, and at least tolerated by the rest.  She definitely felt safe there and that was something she'd missed the entire summer with the Brotherhood.

They were approaching the gates of the Mansion, and while everything else had helped to ease and calm Rogue, the sight of the Mansion was suddenly daunting.  What did the rest of the students think of her disappearance?  Logan had said they'd been worried, but had he been talking about all of them, or just a select few?  Would they accept her a second time?  She remembered how hard it had been for both her and them the first time around.  She didn't want to go through that again, but she would, because she knew it was worth it and she had no idea where else she would go.

The code Logan possessed to open the gates still worked and he started to creep his truck forward as they opened wider and wider, too impatient to wait for them to be open all the way.  He must have been just as anxious as Rogue to finally be home again.  The grounds were lit during the night, though not so much that it would bother the sleeping occupants.  Still, the lighting created a mosaic of lighted and shadowy areas and Rogue strained her eyes trying to drink in every detail that the light allowed her to as the emotions she'd connected with this place washed over her.

Logan parked the truck in the driveway adjacent to the front entrance.  Immediately Rogue got out, though her movements were slow and deliberate.  Even though this was the very event she'd dreamed of the whole summer, she was also still very unsure of how she would be received.  She hoped with all her might that they would allow her back into the fold.

Logan reached the front door before she did and was opening it when Rogue was just coming up the steps.  The light in the foyer was on as always and even thought it was really only light, it felt so warm and inviting to Rogue that she forgot her inhibitions for a moment.  She jogged up the rest of the stairs, and although she didn't quite burst in through the door, she did feel a little foolish when she saw Hank, Ororo and Xavier all staring at her.  She wasn't too sure about the expressions on their faces and she found herself avoiding looking at them.

So she was surprised when she felt more than one pair of arms encircle her in a warm embrace.  Ororo's slender arms and Hank's massive furry ones, with Xavier watching them all from his wheelchair with a pleased smile on his face.  At last all of Rogue's insecurities melted away with the tears that streaked down her face.  It didn't matter to her, right now, whether or not the rest of the students accepted her.  Ororo, Hank and Xavier were more than happy to see her and would see that she was kept safe and relatively happy, here at the Mansion.

"Welcome home, child," Ororo's tender voice whispered to her.

"It's a comfort to our wearied and worried hearts to finally have you both returned," Hank voiced his own sentiments.

They held on for a moment longer before stepping back to allow Xavier access.  She couldn't avoid a smile when he grabbed her gloved hand in his own tightly and she saw the unshed tears in his eyes even as he smiled in return.  Yes, this was what she had been missing during her travels with the Brotherhood and she scolded herself for ever doubting they would take her back.

"What relief to have you both safely returned to us," Charles finally spoke when he felt he had control of his voice.  "Everyone will be excited to see you."

Rogue turned her head to look over at where Logan was standing with Hank and Ororo.  She kind of wished that she had something to say, but she was so busy trying to get her emotions back under control that she really couldn't think of anything to say.  So she just stood there, smiling dumbly, waiting for someone to tell her what to do.

"She could use a shower, some fresh clothes, probably something to eat and then just some sleep," Logan spoke up.

His words shocked everyone into motion and Rogue found herself being led along by Ororo towards the stairs to the second floor where the dormitories were located, including the bathrooms and showers.  A quick glance over her shoulder showed her that Logan was heading off with Mr. McCoy and the Professor in the opposite direction, conversing with each other.  They were talking about her, of course.  She could guess that much.  But the idea of a shower, a warm change of clothing and eventually an actual bed was distracting enough to keep her from wondering about exactly what they were saying about her.

Rogue really didn't need Ororo to show her where everything was, but it was nice to have the older woman's presence and Rogue was glad for it.  Ororo assured her that she would have a change of clothing set out for her and a warm meal waiting downstairs.  That was an idea which Rogue relished and she certainly couldn't wait.

Stepping into the hot stream of water, and Rogue had it as hot as she could bear it, was like dieing and going to heaven.  She hadn't bathed since the hotel in Louisiana and hadn't had a clean change of clothes since before that, and it hadn't helped that Logan's truck didn't have any air conditioning.  Just a few hours ago being clean had seemed like a dream, but now the dream had become reality and she was letting her brain shut down for a little while she let soap and water do their job.

Ororo had returned with the promised garments, complete with underwear, sometime during the course of Rogue's shower.  Rogue hadn't noticed, and had been surprised to see the neatly folded pile on top of a couple of thick, fluffy towels.  Rogue bypassed the clothing at first to wrap herself in the towels, one secured around her body, the other draped over her head and hair.  Rogue never realized how much she could miss the small luxuries of life until they were gone and she had them back again.

Once she was sufficiently dry, Rogue pulled on the clothing: plain, white cotton underwear, like Jean liked to wear, gray thermal pajama pants with a tie string and a matching long sleeved thermal shirt.  They looked like a pair of pajamas that she'd seen Jean wear before, but if they were Jean's then they'd be too big on her, and they seemed to fit just right, so Rogue assumed that they were just extras that were kept around in case of just such emergencies as these.  They also made her wonder if they had gotten rid of her possessions.  Maybe they'd needed to make room for a new student, or they had simply assumed that she wasn't coming back.  Rogue decided she didn't want to go back to that kind of thinking.  She _was_ back and that was what mattered most at the moment.

She deposited the used towels and her pile of dirty clothes in the laundry receptacles, hoping they'd just burn the clothes, and exited the bathroom.  Her bare feet padded along the carpet in the hallway and then down the stairs.  Back on the ground floor, she headed to the dining room and kitchen area, her nose picking up an aroma the nearer she got.

She found, upon entering the dining hall, that the four adults had convened there already.  Logan was surfeiting himself on a plate of food and there was another plate awaiting her.  Ororo silently gestured for her to sit, wearing the same warm smile she'd had on all night.  Rogue quietly took the seat the weather Goddess offered and began to eat as the adults continued their conversation.

Rogue listened as Logan detailed his travels of the summer as he searched for her.  It really wasn't anything of interest, and nothing of importance to her, especially when he got to the part where he'd found her, which she'd heard, and experienced, already.  She didn't know why Xavier, Ororo and Mr. McCoy would want to hear it, but that was their decision.  She was just glad that they didn't ask her about her summer.  She knew that eventually they would, but right now she didn't want to have to worry about that and she had a feeling that the Professor knew that, and so left her alone.

When Logan was finished eating, the three men left as Ororo disposed of the used eating utensils and then returned to keep Rogue company.

"Are you feeling better?" Ororo asked, noticing that Rogue definitely looked a lot better than when she had first stood in the front hall.

Rogue nodded, chewing on a mouth full of food.  Without fear or hesitation, Ororo pushed a stray lock of half dry hair out of Rogue's eyes.  That was the great thing about Ororo.  Somehow she managed to treat you like you didn't have a debilitating Mutant ability that could do mass harm with a single touch.  Nobody else at the Institute could act so naturally around her like Ororo did.

"I never knew that your hair was curly," Ororo commented nonchalantly.

Rogue shrugged as she swallowed.  "Ah always straight'nd it when it was shortah.  Didn't have the chance t'ovah the summah," was all she replied, too intent on her food for much more than small talk.

"It looks good," Ororo appraised, meaning it.

Rogue nodded her thanks.

"Are you going to cut it again?" the African woman wanted to know.

Rogue loved Ororo for talking about things that didn't really matter instead of trying to bring up the events of the summer.  The elder woman knew that they would be dealt with in due time, and that now was a time for idle chitchat and not soul shaking confessions.

"Ah dunno.  Haven't really thought 'bout it.  Mebbe," she answered as she pushed the last of the food together on the plate in order to get it on the fork and into her mouth.

"You should leave it…just to try something new.  Perhaps Kitty can suggest something to keep the frizz minimal," Ororo suggested.

Once again Rogue nodded as she stood up, taking empty plate and dirty fork in hand in order to take them to the kitchen.  Ororo rose, also, pushing in the chairs behind them and following Rogue.  She stood in the doorway, ready to direct Rogue to her room, once the Southern gal was finished rinsing her dishes before leaving them in the sink.  Finished with her task, Rogue turned towards Ororo with an expectant grin and Mother Nature pushed off the doorframe, walking to the opposite entrance, knowing Rogue would join her.

They walked down the hall in silence.  No words were needed for the two to enjoy the comfort of each other's presence.  Rogue was appreciative of Ororo and all she had done already.  She had a feeling that the mistress of the weather wouldn't get much sleep tonight, along with the rest of the adults.  Ororo, for her part, was glad to be united with the Institute's prodigal Mutant.  She knew that Rogue wouldn't be able to fathom how much she had been missed and worried over until she joined up with the rest of the students.

Heading off down the hall from the top of the stairs, Rogue was confused and even a little hurt when Ororo led her past the room she used to share with Kitty.  But Ororo, in her infinite wisdom, had an explanation ready before Rogue could even ask.

"She's been having nightmares lately, and hasn't been getting much sleep.  I don't want to disturb her if she's actually asleep so for tonight we'll put you in one of the guest rooms."

Rogue nodded, troubled by this news.  Kitty, ever perky and happy, was having nightmares?  The most Kitty ever had to worry about was making sure that she looked as primped as ever before leaving the Mansion everyday.  What was it that could be giving Kitty Pryde nightmares?

Speaking of dreams, Rogue wondered what kind of dreams she, herself, would have this night as Ororo held open the door to her for the night.  She almost didn't want to sleep as that thought entered her mind, but her body was telling her otherwise and refused to be ignored.

Ororo bid her sweet dreams before closing the door on Rogue, who shuffled over to the bed without worrying about a light.  Exhaustion blurred her sight as she burrowed under the covers and snuggled her cheek against the pillow.

{Sleep well, Rogue,} Carol's snide voice called to her before she dozed into unconsciousness.

Jean Grey absently flipped a stray strand of her red hair over her shoulder as she walked down the hall, musing to herself.  There was something in the back of her mind that was nagging at her, and she knew that it was her developing telepathic power at work.  She just couldn't figure out what it was trying to tell her.  It was times like this that she wished her telepathy was as developed as her telekinesis.

Last night she had awoken at three in the morning with her telepathy nagging at her.  She had wanted to investigate and had even gotten up to do so, but out in the hall Ororo had stopped her, assuring her that everything was okay and that she should go back to bed.  Jean hadn't liked the knowing smile Ororo had worn.  She never liked not knowing what other's knew.  But she couldn't argue and so she had gone back to bed as instructed, erected a mental block to keep her telepathy at bay, and slept soundly for the rest of the night.

But the nagging feeling was back.  It hadn't waited long after she had awoken to make itself known again, hitting her in the middle of breakfast.  For the most part she tried to ignore it, but there were times when it flared and she was forced to take time and acknowledge it.

But she didn't even know where she was getting the feeling from.  She had already trekked all over the Mansion, trying to pinpoint it without any luck.  The clairvoyant thought in her brain wasn't going to be of much help other than prodding her that something was different, something was new.

For a while she had thought that perhaps it had been the newest student at the Institute, Remy.  But when she had passed his room where he was still snoozing after his late night Danger Room session, she knew it hadn't been him.  And it hadn't been any of the other students or faculty at the Mansion, either.  So then who or what was it?

"Hey, there you are.  What took you so long?" Kitty Pryde asked from where she was standing at the bottom of the steps.

Jean smiled at the petite young woman, using the opportunity to blow off her telepathy.  Screw it.  If it wasn't going to give her any more information or indications, then it could just learn to forget about it.

"It took longer than I thought to get a word with the Professor," Jean told the girl as they headed across the front hall for the door.

"Didja get it?" Kitty asked excitedly.

Jean grinned as she dangled a set of car keys in front of her friend's face.

"Alright!  Bayville Mall, here we come," she celebrated.

Jean giggled.  "But we have to be home by two.  Remy's official orientation starts at two fifteen and we're all to be present."

Kitty grinned.  "Finally!  I can't wait to meet him.  I swear, they've been keeping that guy under lock and key since he got here."

"Just a little longer and then you'll see him in all his glory," Jean comforted the perky brunette as they entered the garage.

Kitty followed Jean to the vehicle they'd been allowed to borrow, a jeep that reminded her of Lance.  But she only let herself dwell on him for second before returning her attention to Jean and their conversation.

But Jean wasn't paying attention.  She had paused, key two thirds of the way to being in the door lock and unlocking the vehicle, a troubled frown on her usually cheerful face.

"Jean," Kitty called to the spaced out red head.

"Oh, sorry," Jean apologized, unlocking the vehicle and climbing in before leaning across to unlock the passenger door.

"What was that all about?" Kitty inquired.

Jean shook her head, her red hair shivering back and forth across her back.  "It's…nothing," she said.

Kitty was smart enough to not press the subject.

"So, I heard Scott called last night," she picked up instead, leering at Jean.

Jean blushed slightly before gaining control of herself as she started the jeep and eased it out of the garage.  "Yeah, he's really enjoying himself at college, although he did assure me that he misses us all."

Kitty chuckled, relaxing in the passenger seat of the jeep.  "You mean he misses you."

Jean rolled her eyes.  "He misses _all_ of us," she assured.  "But he is making friends.  He had a lot to say about a couple guys named Nathan and Brad."

"Are they cute?" was the first thing Kitty asked about them.

Jean laughed.  "I don't know!  I've never met them.  Just what I heard from Scott."

Kitty giggled at herself.  "Yeah, right.  Well, as long as he's happy and not suffering from a severe case of homesickness or something.  He didn't say anything about…?"

Even though she hadn't finished the question, Jean knew what the pony-tailed girl was talking about and she shook her head in a negative response.  Kitty shrugged and didn't pursue that subject anymore.  As they turned off from the road that led to the Mansion, Jean realized that the tickling in her brain from her telepathy was fading.  So, whatever it was that had pestered her telepathy was definitely in the Mansion.

"Jean, you're doing it again," Kitty sang at her teasingly.

Jean chuckled.  "Yeah, sorry, again," she replied.

"So, as I was saying before, where do you want to start?" Kitty picked up from where she had been ignored.

"Actually, I saw this cute shirt the other day that I thought would be just perfect for Amara," Jean admitted.

Kitty grinned.  Jean was always doing things like that, constantly thinking of other people.  It was one reason she was so well liked, along with her friendly attitude and warm smile.  Kitty really knew of only one person who didn't like Jean, though that person had never really gave reason as to why.

The drive to the mall wasn't a long one.  Driving anywhere in the small town of Bayville never took long, and as soon as Jean had found a parking spot and shut off the engine, the two girls hopped out and headed into the mall.  Even though the weather outside was gorgeous, the mall was packed with parents and children doing last minute school shopping.  Jean and Kitty themselves had been hoping to do that very same thing, although they'd already done most of their school shopping with Ororo and the rest of the students at the Mansion a couple of weeks before.

Jean led the way to the store she'd spotted the shirt for Amara in, while they talked and gossiped.  Kitty asked about Duncan, Jean's significant other, and Jean confessed that since football practice and Soccer for herself had started up two weeks ago, she hadn't seen all that much of him.  In return Jean asked Kitty if she was still suffering from her nightmares.  Kitty answered that she was, but refused to say anything more.

"Deprived of both Scott _and_ Duncan.  Bummer!" Kitty teased with a grin, in order to change the subject.

"Oh, stop it," Jean scoffed, turning away to hide her blush.

She had herself under control, however, and Kitty was behaving, when they entered the store.  Jean made a beeline straight for the shirt, remembering exactly where she had seen it, and silently triumphing when it was still there.  She picked it up and turned to show it to Kitty, who wore an expression of approval.

"You're absolutely right, as usual," Kitty told her.  "Amara will love that."

Jean smiled smugly and then turned to browse for herself.  Kitty wandered off, every once in a while looking at something, but not really interested in what this store had to offer.  She really wasn't into its style, preferring the fashions of other stores above this one.  She soon, however, did see something that caught her eye, and took her totally by surprise.

"Lance?!" she called incredulously to the tall young man who had his back to her, straightening a table of folded t-shirts.

He stiffened, recognizing her voice, and slowly turning around.  "Kitty," he said with an unsure smile and looking equally surprised.  "I didn't know you shopped here."

"I didn't know you worked here," she responded instead of answering his question as she saw the nametag pinned to his shirt, emblazoned with the word "Trainee".

"Yeah, well, a brother has to get by somehow, right?" he replied with a half grin and a shrug.

She nodded in what he could take as agreement if he wanted, making the time to look him over.  Gone were his grungy clothes, hole-in-the-knee jeans and layered, grubby shirts.  He was a little more dressed up, as the job expected, with actual nice jeans, and though he still wore his shirts layered, they were nicer shirts, of better quality and style.  Although his hair hadn't changed, he looked clean for once instead of like he'd been burrowing in the dirt, and Kitty had to admit that he looked as handsome as she'd ever seen him.

"So, is there anything I can help you find?" he asked, putting on his best "friendly salesman" smile.

She chuckled lightly.  "Not really," she told him.  "I'm just waiting for Jean."  She gestured to the red head with a thumb over the shoulder.

"Oh," she couldn't help thinking how cute the disappointed look on his face was.  "Well, I have to finish this," he referred to the table with body language, "but if you do need some help, just holler."

He smiled one last time, a smile she returned, and then turned back to folding the shirts.  Shaking her head at Lance, she continued to browse, but she couldn't help glancing in his direction as he wandered around the store, making sure everything was in place, replacing clothing that had carelessly been dropped by a customer, shoe displays that hadn't been put back in their appropriate places, tables exhibiting articles of clothing that had been carelessly rifled through and not been returned to their proper order.  She noticed he took his time with everything, being careful and thorough, working on making his actions into the easy habit of his coworker.

"Hey, is that…Lance?" Jean asked from behind her, startling her.

She turned to look at her companion wearing a nonchalant smile.  "Sure is."

"Oh," was all Jean could say.

"Are you ready?" Kitty asked, looking at the assortment of garments that Jean had picked out, wondering how many were actually for the telepath and how many she had picked out for other people.

"Yep, just gotta pay," Jean told her, sliding past Kitty and making her way to the cash register.

Kitty followed and Lance slid in behind the till just as the girls reached it.  "Hello," he said as if he'd never faced the two in battle.  "Did you find everything you need?"

Jean looked at Kitty, then back at Lance, giving him a curt, "Yeah."

Lance nodded, recognizing the tone in her voice, before he began ringing up the clothing.  He took his time, not being familiar with the cash register, and Jean huffed and rolled her eyes in impatience.

"Sorry, I'm still getting the hang of this," Lance apologized.

"It's okay.  Take your time," Kitty encouraged before Jean could say anything rude.

Jean just rolled her eyes again.

There wasn't anymore talk between the three, but whenever the male Mutant looked at Kitty, he couldn't help but smile, which in turn made her smile.  Lance gave Jean her total as he began to fold her purchases and place them in bags.  Silently Jean handed him her money, waited patiently for her change, muttered a "thank you" when she received it, grabbed her bags before Lance could hand them to her, and promptly left.

Kitty rolled her eyes at Jean's behavior.  "Thanks," she told Lance.  "See ya round.  Good luck with your job."

"Thank you, too.  Have a nice day."

Kitty had heard the same phrase from every other store clerk, but as she jogged out of the store to catch up with her partner, she knew that this one had meant it.

Remy managed not only to sleep, but to sleep in late the next morning.  By the time he had finally arisen and exited his room, the rest of the mutants had already been up for hours and had headed off to do their own things.  Once again the mansion was relatively quiet.  For teen-agers who had to learn to keep both hormones and strange mutant powers under control, they sure did a good job of not letting it take over their lives.

Down in the kitchen Remy sketched himself a quick breakfast, actually, lunch considering it was already past noon.  He really didn't feel all that hungry after last night's workout, but he knew that he needed the nutrients for his body and the mass in his stomach.  He'd learned that quickly, living the life of a thief.  The Guild Father had always made sure that every member in the guild got enough to eat the morning after an assignment, whether they'd been successful in their tasks or not.

After breakfast Remy took a shower, although he'd done that the night before prior to slumping into bed.  Still, it was a habit of Remy's and one that was hard to break.  And his stiff muscles craved the therapy hot water would afford them.  In fact, the steamy water of the shower felt so good that he let himself linger.  He didn't think the Professor would mind, and as long as nobody came knocking on the door with complaints, he would stay for whatever length of time suited him.

When his skin started to get the raisin look to it he finally shut off the water and went looking for some towels to dry himself off with.  Luckily for him, towels were always kept in good supply and he quickly toweled himself dry.  Unluckily for him, he had headed for the showers without stopping off at his room first for a clean change of clothes.  Remy shrugged his shoulders.  Ah well, he'd just have to wrap a towel around his waist and if anyone saw him, well, then they'd get a free show.  He draped a towel over his wet hair in an effort to keep the drips to a minimum and left the bathroom, a death grip on the towel around his mid-section.

He'd almost made it to his room when he heard a door opening and then the distinct sound of females giggling.  He looked over his shoulder to see some of the students of the Institute, every single one of them female, staring at him.  Most guys in his situation might have blushed and rushed into the safety of their rooms.  Not Remy, however.  No, he couldn't let this go without a show.

Turning towards the girls, he smiled genuinely at them and bowed a bit; the best he could do in only a towel.

"Morning, mes chères," he drawled out to them in his accent.

He got the desired effect.  They all giggled even more before heading quickly for the stairs, pushing and tripping over each other as they went.  Remy turned back to his door with a smile on his face.  He loved having such an effect on the ladies.  It was good for the ego.

Once the door to his room clicked shut behind him, he let both towels drop and went about lazily getting dressed.  After last nights grueling workout he didn't feel much like being in a hurry today.  Slipping first into some boxers and then grabbing a white cotton undershirt and pulling that on, he let himself flop down onto his bed as he pushed his hands through his hair.  He kept his auburn locks on the long side.  They often helped to hide his eyes when he didn't want people looking into them.  However, he found keeping a brush or comb around to keep them straight was near impossible, so he usually either pulled them back into a tail or settled with a finger combing.  The ladies never complained about it, so he just worried about keeping his hair trimmed and let it go after that.

Rising from his bed again, he rummaged in his bureau for something to wear.  He'd haphazardly transferred his belongings from his duffel bag the first night he'd been here.  The clothing had ended up in the dresser of course, the laptop sat on the bedside table.  He'd sent the Guild Father a message that first night stating that he'd successfully infiltrated along with what information he had been able to discover.  He hadn't gotten anything back, but that didn't surprise him.

He had opted to bring his thieving tools with him, mostly an assortment of lock picks, but he had a few other devices that made scaling walls easier and an assortment of throwing knives.  He felt semi-naked not keeping those on his body, but he felt that for now it would be better for him if he went without.  These people would start asking questions and getting suspicious if they discovered he kept weapons on himself.  He'd just have to make do with his unassuming cards.

Remy decided on a pair of stone washed jeans, faded and slightly ragged.  He pulled them on, and immediately stuck a loose deck of cards into the front pocket, and another one, still in its pack, in a back pocket.  Remy's theory was that you could never have enough cards.  Not were they only a source of entertainment, but for him at least, they were a handy weapon.

From the top drawer of the bureau Remy grabbed a pair of socks and snatched some grungy sneakers from his closet before heading back to his bed.  It took only a few moments to slip into the socks and shoes and rearrange the pant cuffs so that they pooled around the tops of the sneakers.  With all the femmes around he couldn't have himself looking like a dorky wanna be.  That just wouldn't do.

Standing up, he looked himself over and approved his appearance; laid back, slightly rugged, but still charming and stylish.  He was ready for the Institute and all its students.  He just hoped everyone was ready for him.  Satisfied with himself, Remy opened the door to leave his room, but instead found the lovely Jean Grey standing in his way, fist poised, ready to knock. 

"Well, well, wha' a wond'ful su'prise," he greeted with a charming expression.

Jean smiled back, and Remy could pick out the slight blush in her pale cheeks.

"What can Remy do f'de lovely lady?" he next asked.

"Actually, I was coming up to let you know that we're all meeting in one of the recreation rooms," Jean told him.

"An' I'm invited?" Remy asked, making himself sound completely flattered.

Jean flashed him a grin.  "Of course you are.  How else are you going to meet everyone around here?"

She didn't wait for him to R.S.V.P. before turning and heading back down the hall.  Remy followed immediately, but not without making sure his room was secure.  Then he was right behind the red head who was already headed down the stairs, and taking a sidelong glance at the way her cargo panted hips swayed as she walked.  He realized she was talking and attuned his ears to her voice, hoping he hadn't missed too much.

"…must think it silly that this is your third day here and you still really haven't met anyone.  Not to mention everyone wants to meet you.  They're all excited, and really intrigued," she told him.

"M'flattered," Remy responded, really only half as flattered as he made himself sound.

"Good, because Mr. McCoy and everyone else are waiting for you and once you get to know everyone hopefully things will be a lot easier.  They're all generally nice, although some do have their quirks," Jean explained as she led him down the hall and towards a set of double, wood paneled doors.

"De world woul' b'borin' if dey didn'," Remy returned.

Jean's smile looked relieved as she opened and held one of the two doors for him, gesturing that he should enter before her.  Setting his southern gentile manners aside, he did as she implied, with a quick nod of his head.  The room he stepped into could easily be classified for recreation with the entertainment center, foos ball, chess and checkers sets, and air hockey scattered about.  But the main attraction was the large group of teen-agers settled on and around the overstuffed couch, matching chairs and other assorted articles of furniture.  They animatedly talked amongst themselves or with Mr. McCoy, who stood by the big screen TV, silently keeping an eye out lest someone get overzealous with their Mutant powers.

But as soon as they realized that their new comer had arrived a hushed silence fell over the crowd and they all stared expectantly at him.  Pausing for effect, Remy quickly picked out the mutants he recognized.  There was Kitty, Kurt, Jubilee, and Evan scattered throughout the group and Jean passed by him to join them, completing the picture.  Remy also picked out the group of girls who had caught him in the hall earlier, all sitting together, and he winked at them, sending them into a fit of giggles.  He took in note that the Scott guy was missing and immediately his mind began devising a way of finding out where he was without making it look like he had previous knowledge of him.

"So, dis ever'one?" he asked, grinning at the group.

"It certainly is," McCoy assured him, "and if you'll join us, we can get started."

Remy nodded his acceptance and joined McCoy at the front of the crowd instead of taking a seat within the group.  He felt McCoy's huge paw-hand thing lay itself gently upon his shoulder, and he felt slightly unnerved by it, but ignored the feeling.  He also felt every pair of eyes upon him, staring at him, trying to figure out his secrets.  For a thief who was used to avoiding detection and attention, Remy sure thought he was taking this pretty well.  It was probably his thespian side that loved the attention that was helping him to get along.

"Everyone, I'd like you to meet our newest addition to the Mansion.  This is Remy LeBeau," McCoy's soothing voice introduced.

There was mass murmuring of greetings, which McCoy paused for before proceeding, and Remy responded to it with his best smile and a nod.

"Remy, would you please to explain to us how your ability works?" McCoy requested.

Remy took a moment to think before responding.  "De way McCoy and Xavier 'splained it t'me, I take an objects p'tential energy…an' turn it int'k'netic energy," the Cajun told the group, remembering precisely how the Professor and giant, blue genius had clarified it for him.

"What does…all that mean?" a young boy, the youngest of the group, asked.

"It means dat I charge up any object I wan't'make it 'splode," Remy switched to terms that were easier to comprehend.

The boy grinned and exclaimed, "Cool!" causing the whole room to break into laughter, which helped to ease some of the tension.

"Alright, students, now it's your turn to introduce yourselves," McCoy told them.  "Jaime, why don't you start?"

McCoy gestured to Remy to take a seat as that same little boy from before stood up and, in a tone that sounded more like he was reciting a memorized speech, began to introduce himself.

And so the afternoon proceeded.


	10. See me as if you nver knew Hold me so y...

Title: The House of the Rising Sun, Chapter 7

Author: Goddess Evie

Date: February 11, 2003

Genre: Romance (Remy/Rogue, Scott/Jean, Lance/Kitty), Action, Drama, Angst, AU, heck, it's got it all…just not all in one chapter ^_^

Rating: It's only a G, and I really don't think this'll get above PG.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own X-men of any incarnation. I am but a poor, fanatical, poor, college student who much enjoys a show so that she writes extensive (and hopefully intriguing, enjoyable, and highly popular) fanfiction to feed her insatiable hunger for anything X-men. The title of this fic, a quote from a popular old song by the same name, does not belong to me (obviously) and I'd love to give credit where credit is due, and now I can because I have been informed by one reader that it was done by the "Animals". Thank you!  Still, it's not mine. Also, the song lyric I use as the title for this chapter doesn't belong to me either. I'm quoting the song "Here In My House" by Celine Dion.  Sadly, I own nothing but the plot so don't sue me cause I can't even pay for college! WAAAAH! 

Summary: Rogue and Remy finally have their meeting, plus we peek in on Scott once again AND an interesting scene with Jean.

Author's Note: Well, like I said, the scene I have with Jean at the end is interesting to say the least.  Where it came from, I dunno.  But for those of you who haven't guessed, I really can't stand Jean.  To be truthful, I'm not a fan of Scott either.  All the other mutants I just love.  Anyways, I'm finally bringing you guys the scene that you've all been waiting for.  And the fanfic readers rejoiced!  Yeah!  So, let the fic-ing begin!

The House of the Rising Sun Chapter 7:  "_See me as if you never knew.  Hold me so you can't let go_." 

Rogue rubbed her eyes and sat up as the late afternoon sunlight slanted through her room.  It had been nice to sleep in a real bed for once instead of trying to catch some snooze time in Logan's truck, despite the dreams that Carol and her memories had plagued her with.  It was even nicer to be home.  She took more than a few moments to look around the room Ororo had put her in for the night and enjoy the familiarity of the dark wood paneled walls, stylish furniture, and expensive decorations.  The decorations told Rogue that this was one of the guest rooms.  The dorm rooms were left purposely undecorated so that each student or pair of students could accessorize their rooms according to their own styles.

But after a while the room wasn't enough, and Rogue wanted to see more of the Mansion that had become a home to her.  She slipped from the bed, her bare feet luxuriating in the plush comfort of the carpet made warm by the sun.  Slowly she made her way to the door, setting her hand upon the knob and turning it.  The burnished brass handle turned as effortlessly as any in the house and the door opened just as quietly.  She peeked her head out to look up and down the hall.

*Stop being so cautious,* she scolded herself.  *You're home, now.  There's no reason, anymore.*

With a sigh she stepped out into the hallway, pulling the door closed behind her and started down the hallway.  The Mansion was peacefully quiet and mysteriously devoid of its usually raucous inhabitants, which confused Rogue.  Where was Kurt, Evan, Kitty, Scott, Amara, Jubilee, little Jaime?  Where was anybody?

{Maybe they heard you were back and decided to hightail it,} Carol suggested, hatefully sarcastic in her mind.

Rogue growled and ignored Carol's comment.  The woman wouldn't leave her alone for a moment.  She hoped the Professor could do something for her.  She didn't know how much more she could take of the woman.

She was at the stairs now, leading down to the ground level.  She couldn't understand why she was hesitating and feeling so afraid.  What did she have to fear?

{The accusing eyes, the suspicious looks, the cold shoulders just like the first time,} Carol cut in.

*But haven't I already proved myself?* she retorted vehemently.

{That was until you disappeared at the same time the Brotherhood did,} Carol reminded.

*But I'll explain to them.  They'll understand.  If I can convince Logan, I can convince anyone,* she said defiantly and started down the stairs to put emphasis on her point.

Carol didn't take the hint, continuing to scream at her at a constant rate, but Rogue chose to ignore her.  She had other things to worry about.  Like how was she going to explain Carol to the gang?  A daunting task.  It was even more daunting to think how they might react.

Sudden laughter grabbed Rogue's attention and she immediately reacted, turning towards it and heading in that direction.  The laugher continued at random interludes, and the closer she got, the better she could hear an achingly familiar voice eliciting the laughter from the rest of the group.  Continuing to follow the sound, Rogue soon found herself standing by a pair of double, wooden doors, one standing slightly ajar so that she could look in without being noticed.

The whole group was there, being entertained by Kurt's antics.  He had his holograph generator turned off so that his blue fur, yellow eyes, and three digited hands and feet were apparent, but everyone at the Institute had long become comfortable with the German teen's appearance, and no one seemed to notice it over his usual hilarious performance.  By his side, Evan was just about rolling around on the floor from laughing so hard.  Watching them made Rogue smile.

"You gonna go in?" Logan's gruff voice coming softly from behind Rogue made her jump.

Turning, she looked up at the gruff man.  "You scared me," she hissed at him.

He didn't reply to her annoyed statement, just looked at her expectantly.  Rogue scowled and turned back to look through the crack in the two doors at the gathered mutants.

"Ah dunno," she finally mumbled.

"They really missed ya," he reminded.

Rogue just shrugged and turned back to spy on the group through the cracked door.  Kitty was laughing outright at the Fuzzy Blue Elf, Jean too, though she kept hers more subdued.  Jaime was almost breathless with amusement, the younger girls giggling to each other in their group.  Bobby was slapping his knee as he snorted, and the other boys had their heads thrown back as they chortled.  Unconsciously, the corner of Rogue's mouth lifted as she watched them.

Finally Kurt finished, and he sat down, quite pleased with himself.  He was constantly joking, showing off, and never happier than when he was cheering others up.  Rogue remembered the times Kurt had done just that service for her, refusing to quit until she smiled for him.  He hated to see anybody unhappy, accepting nothing but a smile from everyone around him.

At least that was one reason for his constant clowning around.  There was another that not many other than Rogue knew.

"Well, that's everybody," McCoy was saying from the front of the crowd.

Rogue was startled from the trance she had put herself into when the door suddenly moved, seemingly of its own accord, opening wider.  She felt herself being propelled through the portal by a hand on her back, and Logan's gruff voice interrupting Hank.

"Not quite," he corrected.

Now Rogue found herself staring anxiously at the group of Mutants that had been previously enjoying Kurt's show.  The room was absolutely silent and Rogue wished that Logan wasn't barring her escape route.  But, since she was trapped, she felt she should say something.  The group before her deserved an apology and an explanation about her disappearance over the summer, but she couldn't make herself do anything but stare shyly at her peers.

They were all staring right back at her, all of them looking quite dumbfounded.  But how long would that last?  How long until the pointing fingers, accusing looks, and suspicious questions?

{Any time now,} Carol assured her smugly inside her head.

But she was wrong, because what happened next had nothing to do with interrogations or cold shoulders.   A _bamf_ followed shortly by another, both accompanied with the smell of brimstone, found Rogue enveloped in the soft furry embrace of Kurt Wagner, her adopted brother and one of her closest friends.

"I'm zo glad you're back.  I mizzed you," he whispered endearingly into her ear before hovering his puckered lips over her cheek and blowing softly.

"Ah missed ya too, shugah," she whispered back, as she hugged him fiercely.

Another pair of arms joined Kurt's and Rogue shared a secret smile with Kitty.  Then Evan was patting her on the back and settling his darker arms around the three and from there it was chaos as everyone got in on the group hug, including Jean who tousled Rogue's hair in an affectionate welcome back gesture that the southern belle let pass without any sort of backlash.

Rogue was left in total awe by this display of affection and all of it for her.  She had only dared to dream that this was what would happen.  Certainly this wasn't what she had been expecting, far from it.  But the actions and words of her friends, and she now knew them by that name and none other, caused Rogue to rethink her previous misconceptions.  She realized how silly she had been, imagining only the worst possible scenario for her return.  Once again, she had been proved wrong by the people who never failed to surprise her.

But an even bigger surprise was on his way when finally the students of the Mansion gave her room to breath and moved to welcome the gruffer Logan back into the fold.  Gracefully dodging through the excited students was none other than Remy LeBeau, with his gorgeous red on black eyes only for her.  As she watched him approach she felt as if the breath had been taken from her lungs and the rest of the world stood still and slowly disappeared.  There was room in her vision only for him, once she had discovered that somehow he was here, waiting for her.

McCoy's clearing his throat brought Rogue from her daze and she noticed that everybody was staring at herself and Remy.

"Remy, I'd like to introduce a very special member of the Institute-"

"Rogue," Remy finished for the giant, blue Beast, earning a surprised look from the good doctor.

Rogue gasped as he spoke her name, allowing oxygen to enter her lungs again.  She didn't know how this was possible, and a small part of her brain was obsessively crazy with trying to figure it out.  But that part of her mind was greatly overwhelmed by the unmistakable joy at seeing the Cajun Gentleman again.  It agreed that it wasn't possible, but it also admitted that it, and she, didn't care, so long that he was here.

He closed the distance between himself and Rogue with a few steps and moved to take her hand as he smiled softly.  But Rogue surprised him by stepping back and pulling both her unprotected hands behind her, pulling the gray sleeves of her flannel shirt down and around them.  She was painfully aware of the disappointed, hurt, and confused look that he gave her, but she couldn't let him go any further without telling him the truth.

Mr. McCoy strategically spoke up at that moment.  "Perhaps, Rogue, you should tell Monsieur LeBeau about your Mutant Gift."

As she spoke, Rogue felt more strongly than ever that her Mutant power was not a gift but a curse.

"Mah powah' is that Ah absorb a person by simple skin t'skin contact.  Ah drain them of mem'ries, lahfe force an' if they're a Mutant, whatevah powah's and abilities they have.   As a sahde effect, sometahmes Ah take on physical an' pers'nality traits, too," she spoke honestly and bluntly.  Trying to sugar coat the truth would do nothing but give hope where there was none.

A small piece of Rogue's heart broke off each time his face fell more and more with each word she told him.  But she knew it was better this way.  Nobody would get hurt, and he could get over her more quickly and find some other pretty face to set his heart on sooner.

"Isn't dere any way t'control it?" Remy pleaded.

"No," she choked out the answer.  "There ain't."

"Rogue hasn't yet been able to find any control over her ability, thus far, except by completely partitioning herself off from any kind of physical contact," Hank's soft words cut quickly and devastatingly.

"Ah'm sorry," Rogue whispered before turning and quickly leaving the room before anyone had a chance to notice the tears threatening her eyes.

Remy stood staring at the spot Rogue had been standing in before she had flown off.  He couldn't believe what she had told him.  No, that wasn't true.  He didn't want to believe what she'd just told him.  Where was the part where she popped back into the room, all smiles, and told him she was just joking and then he took her into his arms, feeling like a fool, and smiling like a man in love, and kissed her deeply and passionately to show to her the depth of his feelings?

But that part never came.  Instead he was left with Mr. McCoy's words cutting like a knife into his soul, quick but agonizing, and the whole of the Institute staring at him with wide-eyed shock, wondering what had just happened and knowing there was more to this than they understood.

And then Remy knew that he couldn't just accept that this was the end.  He wasn't about to forget about the one woman who could make his heart race with nervousness, and excitement every time she entered the room.  He would fight for her.  He would find a way.

Gambit always did love a good challenge.

He was stopped briefly by a hand on his sleeve and he turned to find Jean shaking her head at him, trying to discourage him from following the fled femme.  But Gambit would have none of it and he steeled his determination and pulled himself from her grasp, exiting the room before anyone else got the idea in their heads that they should try to stop him, too.

Outside in the hall, there was no sight of Rogue, but the tell-tale sound of bare feet against wood floor, reverberating from down the hall, directed Remy to his left.  Quickly and quietly the thief stalked after the woman that had been audacious enough to steal his heart, knowing that if he let her know now that he was following her, she would never let him get close.

As Remy turned a corner, the pounding feet suddenly stopped, but the undercover thief didn't.  He continued to follow the hall where his tracking had led him, knowing his quarry couldn't be too far ahead of him now.  The hall was silent in a creepy way that had Remy holding his breath and moving slowly, until he shook his head and laughed under his breath at himself.

"Dis ain't no horro' movie," he mumbled.

Turning the last corner found Remy almost tripping over Rogue where she sat on the floor against the wall, curled up into a tight ball.  With her head buried into herself, Rogue didn't notice him until after he'd crouched down beside her, gently touching her shoulder to let her know that he was there.  Gentle as his touch was, she still jumped, staring at him with tear-brimmed eyes.

"Ah chère, don'cry," he told her, heartache in his voice.

"Ah'm fahne," she assured, wiping her eyes and sniffling.

She turned her face away so that he couldn't see that she was lying, but it was too late for that already.  Remy sighed, wishing Rogue would look at him so that she could be assured for herself that he didn't care about her Mutant powers.  That he still carried deeply for her and would do anything, risk everything just to make her happy.

"Ya shouldn' lie, ma chère," he spoke softly.  "Sides, Remy jus' wan't'make t'ings better."

"Didn'ya hear me the first tahme!  Ah said Ah'm fahne!  An' Ah cert'nly don't need no swamp rat's help," she yelled at him, rising.

"Chère," his voice was so full of pain and pleading that it softened Rogue's heart.

"Remy, Ah'm sorry.  But it wouldn' work," her expression pleaded with him to understand her dilemma.

And Remy still found that he couldn't give up, and that somehow he had to make her see that her mutation didn't matter to him.  But she wouldn't let herself believe, wouldn't let anyone, not even him, get close.

"Rogue, Remy, is everything alright?" Ororo's voice sounded from just around the corner.

The two southerners looked away from each other to see the Storm Goddess, followed by Hank and even Jean, all of them wearing concerned expressions.

"Ev'rything's fahne," Rogue hardened herself as she answered for the both of them before she slipped past the group that had gathered and headed down the hall, four apprehensive gazes following her.  After a few moments Ororo turned to follow the stubborn brunette, and Hank stepped up to take her place, effectively blocking Remy from pursuit of his own.

"We've arranged for Jean to give you a tour of the Mansion," he said, sounding every bit as calm as the day Remy had met him, despite the recent show.

Remy wanted to protest, to set the record straight, to shout at everyone that they had ruined a perfectly good opportunity to make Rogue believe that there was more to him then wanting to touch her.  He certainly wanted to do that.  But he didn't just see her irresistible skin and body.  She had shown a very sassy side that Remy certainly wanted to get to know, not to mention he wanted to talk to her, find out all kinds of interesting and funny and embarrassing and sad and introspective things about her, find out her secret dreams so that he could fulfill them for her.  He wanted her to talk just because he loved the sound of her voice, her adorable and slightly sultry Mississippi accent that made him home sick and filled him with peaceful nostalgia all at the same time.

Instead, Remy just nodded absently.  He knew that, for now, there was nothing he could do besides brood, so he followed Jean and Hank down the hall, acting his usual amusing self, and forcing himself to listen to what they were saying.

"Hey Scott, tell us about this Institute you came from," Nathan said, picking up the picture that sat on Scott's desk to look at.

Scott looked up at the two boys, Nathan still perusing the picture and Brad watching Scott intently.

"Well, it was the place I was raised. Not really an orphanage, not really a foster home," Scott supplied.

"A school for the gifted," Brad supplied the description from the little Scott had previously told them.

Scott nodded.

"So, what, this is some gathering place for nerds?" Nathan joked.

"Do I look like a nerd to you?" Scott retorted.

"Yes," Brad and Nathan said at the same time, smiling good-naturedly.

Scott picked up his small nerf ball and tossed it at the two, hoping to hit one of them in the head.  They both dodged and tried to catch it, and it hit the wall behind them.

"Really, though, there are so many kids, all different ages and stuff," Nathan pursued.

"Well, smart kids aren't look alikes.  They have their own interests and stuff," Scott assured.

"Like what?" Nathan asked.

"Well, take Kitty for instance-"

"Which one's Kitty," Nathan interrupted.

Scott leaned over the picture, scanning it quickly and pointing out the perky young teen for his friend.

"She's a complete whiz at Math and Science and.  But she also loves shopping, boys and from just talking to her you'd think she was a total airhead," Scott supplied.

"How good is she at Math?" Brad asked, thinking himself a bit of a Math pro.

"This last year at school, she was already taking college level Math courses and she's only a junior this year," Scott told him.

Brad's eyes widened.

"And how about this lovely young lady?" Nathan next asked, setting down the group picture and taking up the framed photo of Jean.  "Why does she get a frame all to herself?"

"Oh, that's Jean," Scott answered.

Brad and Nathan picked up on Scott's blush and embarrassment.

"Your girlfriend," Brad identified, Nathan grinning in agreement.

"No," Scott objected, grabbing the photo from Nathan so he could replace it on his bedside table, but instead gazing at it himself.

"Earth to Scott!" Nathan called, giving the sunglasses wearing young man a wake up shove.

Scott looked at his friends who were wearing identical skeptical expressions.

"I promise, she's really not my girlfriend," Scott vowed solemnly, then added with a sigh, "Unfortunately."

He watched as Nathan and Brad exchanged a look, feeling like he was having Evan-Kurt déjà vu.  But neither of his friends pursued the subject anymore.  Nathan turned the group picture to get a better look at it again.

"What about this girl?" he tapped the picture of Rogue.

"That's Rogue," Scott said, fighting the emotions that his mind connected with the young woman.

Brad leaned closer to see who Nathan was asking about this time.  "She looks scary."

"She can be," Scott assured.  "Never get on her bad side.  Heap big trouble."

"What's she like?" Nathan wanted to know.

Scott shook his head.  "She's got potential, or else she wouldn't be at the school, but she's got a lot of troubles, too."

"What kind of troubles?"

"Only the Professor really knows," Scott answered.

Nathan nodded, but Brad was looking at Scott pensively.

"Something's bothering you," he identified.

Scott looked at Brad with a little bit of surprise, then nodded.  "This last summer, she disappeared.  No one has any idea why or how."

"And you blame yourself, don't you?" Nathan's voice was soft.

"I just keep thinking that there was something I could have done to make her stay, or keep her safe, or something," Scott tried to explain to the two young men.

"Woah, Scott, it's okay.  I'm sure you did your best," Brad told him.

Scott just shrugged and shook his head.

"Look, guys, why don't we go get something to eat," Nathan suggested, steering away from the uncomfortable subject.

"Yeah, then we can play some football," Brad piped up, grabbing the said object from where it lay.

Scott smiled.   "Sounds like a good idea," he agreed and followed the two boys out of his room.

"Rogue," Ororo called out sharply, stopping the young woman in her tracks finally.

"What?!" Rogue snapped back, turning to glare angrily at the white haired woman who'd been chasing after her.

"I'm taking you school shopping," Ororo informed her calmly.

Rogue stood there for a moment just looking at the African woman.  She'd expected to be asked about what was bothering her, perhaps forced to talk about problems that she didn't want to share with anybody because how could they understand with their perfect, touchy feely lives?  But the woman had acted like nothing was wrong, repeating her actions from the night before, and had instead, talked about everyday, mundane things.

Rogue slowly nodded and turned to start up the stairs.  She looked straight ahead as she walked while her mind, once again left to its own devices, crashed immediately back into thoughts about Remy.  The emotions hit her like an ambush and she had to fight to keep herself under control and not turn into a blubbering baby.

She'd thought she'd made herself strong, built up so many walls that she couldn't get hurt.  But Remy had come upon her while she'd been in a fit of weakness, both times; had caught her off guard while at the same time making her feel so comfortable and at home.  He had a way about him that could not be denied and struck straight into the depths of her soul.

Nothing had hurt more than revealing the truth to him, watching his face fill with pain, the brightness of his eyes fade with disappointment.  She didn't know how he'd come to mean so much to her in such a short period of time, after only having met him once, but she could have sworn that she'd felt his pain deep within her soul, still could, and not even the events of the summer could compete with how much it hurt.

Methodically, Rogue entered her room, stripped her body of last night's pajamas and found that none of her stuff had been moved, not even by Kitty.  She pulled out clothing, old, unused, but familiar and comforting all its own.  A fresh pair of her own underwear, a black satin bra that didn't seem to fit as well as when she'd last worn it, black nylons that weren't comfortable to wear anymore from being too small, and a tank top that was awfully tight and revealing around her chest and just didn't even come close to covering her belly button.

Had Kitty been wearing and washing her clothing, shrinking them by doing so?  That didn't make sense.  Kitty did not agree with Rogue's taste and clothes and had always complained that Rogue had no sense of fun in her style.  None of the girls had ever had much of a taste for her style, to be honest.

A black skirt from her closet proved to be shorter and tighter, and the gauzy, green, sheer material shirt that went over the tank top didn't have the same looseness she remembered.  Trying to put on her pair of chunky, black boots proved impossible, and she was forced to settle for a pair of black, leather sandals that had a been a little too big before she'd been swept away by Mystique and the Brotherhood.

She remembered, as she looked herself over in the full size mirror that was one of Kitty's contributions to the room, that Jean had given her the sandals as a present when she'd first moved into the Mansion, and she'd never found the motivation to wear them…until now.

[You look like a whore,] Carol politely informed her.

_Shuddup_, Rogue informed back.

She debated applying her make-up, Carol contributing, [Great, let's just complete the whole 'I'm a slut" ensemble], and even changing her outfit, but she knew that Ororo was waiting for her.  Instead, she left her room, deciding not to care if she looked trashy, despite what Carol said, because maybe that was the effect she was going for anyway, and tromped down the stairs where Ororo waited patiently.

"Are you ready to go?" Ororo asked with no verbal comment or bodily gesture at the way Rogue looked.

The younger Mutant just nodded and followed Ororo out the front entrance to the garage.

Remy had been given the full tour by the Miss Jean, and had memorized everything she had shown him in the maze like Mansion with the accuracy of a thief's photographic memory.  Along with that he'd mapped out the best escape routes from anywhere in the building, and then back-ups for those in case his first choice was blocked, and once again back-ups for those in case his second choice was blocked.  All of these little things he did in the back of his mind without a second thought.  The instincts of a thief.

Now, he and Jean were standing in the garage, the end of their tour.  There were some impressive vehicles in here, an assortment of cars, jeeps, motorcycles.  Anyone who wanted to go for a ride had quite a variety to choose from.

"An' de students can use dese any time day wan'?" Remy was asking of his tour guide.

"Not quite," Jean told him.  "Xavier keeps the keys to all of them and we have to ask permission to use them."

"Bummer," Remy lamented.

"Not really.  The Professor is actually quite open to their use.  As long as you let him know where you're going and an estimation of how long you'll be gone," Jean explained.  "Just think of it as asking your parents to borrow their car."

Remy nodded at her answer, then launched abruptly onto a new subject.

"So, wha's it like readin' o'dah people's minds?" he asked of her.

The question caught Jean off guard.  "Well, really, I don't read people's minds, not without urgent need, or their permission, or if it's an emergency."

"But you can," he insisted.

Jean flushed, and nodded.  The first time Remy could recall seeing her flustered.  Jean was a confident young woman who was always in control.  Remy decided to see how unnerved he could get her.

"You evah read any o'de students minds?" Remy asked, giving her a sidelong glance.

"No!" Jean answered, a little too quickly.  "The Professor has taught me that a person's mind is his own private possession, and it would be a moral crime if I entered without permission."

"C'mon, chère.  Wasn't dere a time when you were jus' diein' t'fin'out what someone was t'inkin'?" Remy continued to pry.  "Dat Rogue girl, fo'instance."

Jean didn't answer.  She looked away from him, her face going read.  Remy leaned in closer to her, lowering her voice.

"You got some'in dat yo'hidin', mademoiselle?"

"Once," Jean admitted, though she wouldn't look at Remy.  "I tried to read Rogue's mind once, because…  But I couldn't.  At first I was completely confused, and then I got bumped out.  More like kicked out, actually.  It was the scariest experience, and I never wanted to do it again…and I haven't."

Remy was quiet after that admittance, mostly because he was busy processing what she'd told him about Rogue.  Then again, he wondered how long Jean had been hiding that piece of information, keeping it to herself.  It must have been a burden on her heart for it to affect her so for just admitting that she'd done it.

"Dere," Remy finally asked, his voice gentle.  "Don' dat feel bettah?"

Jean shook her head, her eyes closed as she re-composed herself.

"You're supposed to meet up with Ororo again so that you can go into town and get school supplies and stuff," Jean avoided his question.

"A'ight," Remy allowed her to do so.  "Where're we 'posed to meet'er?"

"Right here," Ororo's refined voice told him.

Remy turned to look at the African woman with a smile and almost faltered when he saw who was standing sullenly by her side.  As his heart tripped over itself, Remy wondered if maybe he should reason himself out of going on this little trip.


	11. How can you see into my eyes like open d...

Title:  The House of the Rising Sun, Chapter 8

Author: Goddess Evie

Date:  March 31, 2003

Genre:  Romance (Remy/Rogue, Scott/Jean, Lance/Kitty), Action, Drama, Angst, AU, heck, it's got it all…just not all in this chapter.  ^_^

Rating: So far, it's only a G, and I really don't think this'll get above PG.

Disclaimer:  I do NOT own X-men of any incarnation.  I am but a poor, fanatical, poor, college student who much enjoys a show so that she writes extensive (and hopefully intriguing, enjoyable, and highly popular) fanfiction to feed her insatiable hunger for anything X-men.  The title of this fic, a quote from a popular old song by the same name, does not belong to me (obviously) and actually does belong to the golden oldie band the Animals, but it's still a great song.  Also, the song lyric I use as the optional title doesn't belong to me either.  I'm quoting the song "Bring Me to Life" by Evanescence and if you have not heard this band than you are SO missing out!!!!  But, sadly, I own nothing but the plot so don't sue me cause I can't even pay for college!  WAAAAH!  

Summary:  Remy and Rogue's shopping trip and Ororo's observations.  Also, some Jean/Scott interactions.

Author's Note:  Well, it took me a little while, but I finally finished this chapter.  I'm not particularly pleased with the last section, where we kinda see thing through Ororo.  But since it's not all that an important part, I'm just going to let it slide (because, in reality, I'm too lazy and I just want to get on with the story and I'm sure you do, too).  Anyways, dunno when the next part will be out, but I know what I have planned.  Remy and Rogue's DR session, in which tragedy happens.  Ororo's meeting with Charles interrupted by the tragedy.  And a twist that I won't reveal to you at this moment.  You'll just have to wait 'til the next chapter to find out what I have planned.

Chapter 8:  "_How can you see into my eyes like open doors?_"

Rogue kept her eyes on her feet as she walked behind Ororo to the garage.  Both women remained silent, so Rogue wasn't expecting to hear any voices-other than Carol's-especially not the one with the charming Cajun accent.  But what caused her head to snap up, though her expression didn't change, was when Ororo answered Remy's question.

Rogue met his eyes, holding them willingly and unwillingly.  She tried to tell herself to look away, but her heart wouldn't listen to her brain, and there was something about the emotion in his eyes that had her existence confined to his gaze.

"Are you two ready to go?" Ororo's voice was just what Rogue needed as a distraction to stop herself from acting like a fool any longer.

She gave an indifferent shrug as her answer.  Remy was all smiles and accent as he answered, though, as Rogue watched him out of the corner of her eyes.  She was sure that he was doing the same thing to her, and was his gaze wandering?!  How dare he check her out!

[Do you remember what you're wearing?  Even a blind man would be checking you out,] Carol muttered snidely to Rogue in the back of her mind.

Rogue took a deep breath, then walked to Ororo's white convertible and waited at the passenger door for the owner to let her in.  Ororo used the keyless entry remote on her key ring to unlock the car.  Immediately, Rogue opened the car door and clumped down into the passenger seat.

"I was hopin' dat I'd git t'see de grounds, aussi," Remy admitted to Ororo, much to Rogue's amazement, who showed it by raising an eyebrow in the Cajun's direction.

"That will have to wait for another time.  School starts tomorrow morning, and both yourself and Rogue need to get appropriate clothing and school supplies so that you'll be ready," Ororo replied.

Remy, for once, couldn't think of any argument to reply with.  Already it was getting late in the day and not many stores would be open for much longer.  There wasn't another day to put it off to.  Like Ororo had said, school started tomorrow, and Rogue obviously needed some new attire.  Remy found he was stuck, and by the look on Rogue's face, well, he couldn't really tell how she felt about it.  She was keeping her visage cool and expressionless and Remy wasn't close enough to see into her eyes to know what she was really feeling.

"A'ight, den," he gave in, hoping Rogue saw the apologetic look on his face.

Ororo nodded in the direction of the car, and Remy took the gesture for it's meaning, climbing into the back seat of the convertible.  Rogue didn't look at him even to acknowledge that he existed.  Remy couldn't help wishing he knew what was on her mind.  Maybe then he'd have some clue as to how to reach her.

Ororo saw Jean's apologetic look to her as she reversed her car out of the garage and headed out of the Mansion grounds.  She decided it best not to try to break the stony silence that hung between her passengers, filled only by the soft music playing on the radio.  As much as she was the mediator and neutral being, she didn't think it wise to try and incite even small talk.  It would only end up getting lost in either one-word answers or some kind of squabble between these two.  Instead of risking it, Ororo let herself concentrate on the African tribal chants she usually listened to when she drove.  Usually the kids complained about her choice of music, none more loudly than Evan.  But Rogue and Remy were too busy being silent at each other to care.

As they pulled into a parking space in front of the Bayville Mall, Remy jumped out of the backseat without using the door and with the utmost suave and politeness opened Rogue's door, adding a flaunting bow.

"Mademoiselle," he offered.

Rogue climbed out, speaking nothing except what she could say through her glare at him and ignoring him as she walked around him to join Ororo.

Remy closed the door without letting on that Rogue's reaction had affected him in any way and went to walk on Ororo's other side.  The silence was sustained as they entered the building.

"The professor has given me an allowance for each of you.  You may pick out whatever you want, keeping your items strictly to clothing and shoes and school supplies.  No extravagances," Ororo instructed them.

"How much is our limit?" Rogue asked.

"Don't worry about it.  Just worry about getting what you need," Ororo told her.

Both Remy and Rogue nodded and looked around at the variety of stores that they could choose from.

"Where would you like to start?" Ororo asked to initiate some action from one of the two.

"I assume dat chère has a betteh idea o'where t'shop and where not t', so I leave de decision up t'her," Remy acquiesced.

Rogue huffed, but looked around again, scanning the stores in sight.  Remy and Ororo watched her expectantly and patiently.  Ororo was slightly surprised that the girl hadn't taken off to her favorite store, a little out of the way shop that always had the latest in goth clothing and styles.  She huffed, annoyed, as she looked around, then stalked off, Remy taking off after her.

Ororo watched them go, then turned in a different direction.  She had her own list of items to pick up, for herself and various other requests that had been made to her.  The Bayville Mall wasn't all that big, but it was filled with last minute school shoppers, not to mention the construction that was still going on after the X-Men's rumble with the Brotherhood a few months ago.  A lot of the rebuilding was done, but there were still shops only half finished and integrity issues that were being dealt with.  No matter.  Ororo had a feeling she'd be able to find the two when she was done.  She had a knack for doing that, one her nephew Evan absolutely despised.

Remy found keeping up with Rogue was a task.  She kept her walk to a quick pace, spurred on by her anger, he guessed.  He wished she would stop so he could talk to her, or at least slow down so he wasn't out of breath from just keeping up with her and could get a few words in.  But she was determined not to have anything resembling a conversation with him and wanted to make sure he got the clue.  Unfortunately for her, Remy didn't take hints too well when he didn't want to, even when he did catch them.

"Chère, where we goin'?" he finally demanded.

She stopped and whirled around to look at him, her mouth working to say something, anything, but there was no sound.  Finally, she gave up and grunted angrily.

"Wha's wrong, chère?" he asked her softly, sensing there was more to her frustration then having to spend the afternoon with him.

She shook her head, the expression of pent up emotions leaving her face as she took a deep breath and then exhaled it.  She took the time to really look around before heading off again, making Remy jump to keep up with her.  She didn't waste any words on a warning, but at least her pace was more relaxed.

This time she did have a destination and Remy followed her into a store that was relatively empty, save for the sales clerks on duty.  Immediately, Rogue began to ruffle through the clothing, though by just comparing the merchandise to Rogue's current apparel, which was hard _not_ to do, Remy could tell easily enough that this wasn't her usual style.

Not that his observation stopped him from picking up a green fitted, button up shirt, holding it up to her, and suggesting, "Dis one perfect for you, chère.  It bring out de coloh' in yo' eyes.''

She glared at him as she shoved a pair of jeans back onto the rack she'd been perusing through and asked in return, "What makes _you_ think yah know anythin'?''

"Jus' a suggestion, chère," he assured her, hoping he sounded nonchalant and not hurt as he returned the shirt to its mates.

She was already ignoring him as she walked away, and Remy felt so helpless watching her go.  Why couldn't she just give him a chance?  She had been so open that day at the bar, but now she was worlds away.

Remy saw Rogue stiffen out of the corner of his eye and immediately his focus was on her.  Shifting his gaze past her prone form he saw the reason for her sudden distress.  Even without the goofy costume, Remy recognized the leader of the mutants that had attacked them back at the bar in New Orleans.  He wasn't sure how he had figured out that they would be here in Bayville, or why he had come alone this time instead of with his buddies, but he wasn't going to let him have another try at Rogue.

The two stared at each other as Remy made his approach, but then with Rogue's powers, Remy would be wary attacking her, also.  Then again, the boy had shown some merit-able tactical skills back at the bar.  And yet now he was only one against their two and they had done well enough on their own when there had been four.

"You back again fo'anothah try?  Cause we more den happy t'kick yo'ass again, homme," Remy made his presence known.

The boy looked up at him with a grunt of surprise, then took a step back as his eyes narrowed.  With the stealth of his thief training, Remy removed a couple of cards from his pocket and charged them.

"Remy, don't," Rogue ordered.

"Don'chu worry 'bout nothin', chère.  Remy take care o'dis goon fo'yo, an' yo' won' even have t'dirty yo'hands," he assured her.

She turned to face him, looking straight into his eyes as she repeated with more force, "Remy, Ah said don't."

He was so caught up in her eyes that it took him a second to realized she'd grabbed the charged cards in his hand.  Quickly he de-charged them and she let go when he did.  He stuffed them back into his coat after she released them, glaring at the offending young man.  One glare was all he got before Rogue was pushing him out of the store, an easy task for her with her enhanced strength.

She didn't stop ushering when they were out of the store, but continued to push him out of the populated main walkways and into a deserted side hallway where finally she let go.

Remy caught and supported Rogue as she collapsed against him, slowly wrapping his arms tighter and tighter around her as she fought to control sobs she'd never acknowledge.  She didn't stop him.  In fact, she seemed to be clinging to him, needing him to sustain her both mentally and physically.  Remy waited for most of the sobs to pass before addressing her.

"Why didn't you lemme-"

She didn't let him finish.  "Don't you undahstand?  We can't staht a fahght lahke that in th'middle of th'mall!  That would be a total disastah!  Th'world don't know that Mutants exist and rahght now they're not ready t'know!"

Remy's face fell as he felt every bit the hothead that Rogue was insinuating that he was.  Rien, but he'd never known a femme that could do that to him.  Rogue sighed and spoke again in softer tones.

"Remy, Ah know ya haven't been at th'Institute long, but ya haf'ta r'membah th'Pr'fessor's goal."

Remy nodded, looking into her eyes again to make sure she saw his sincerity.  What he glimpsed in her emerald irises was pain hidden and pushed away.  Remy couldn't deny that.

"Rogue, let Remy help you," he pleaded to her.

She looked away and Remy thought he could almost see the steel shell unfolding over her skin.

"Ah don't need help," she told him.  "'Specially not yours."

She started to pull away, but he stopped her with a mere hand on her arm.  "Den a' least…"  He paused and she looked at him expectantly.  "A' least give Remy a truce."

Scott was sprawled on his bed studying his schedule as Brad and Nathan tossed the Nerf football back and forth.  They were playing some game that Scott didn't quite understand and didn't care to participate.  But at least they were being semi-quiet so that he could look over his classes.

They were mostly general education credits.  The ones that all students had to take unless they tested out of some of the basic ones.  Chemistry 200 was at the top of the list, since he had managed to test out of the basic level science classes and had been able to choose from whatever interested him.  He'd chosen chemistry because he had a passing interest in it, not to mention he could always e-mail Hank if he had any questions.

Along with that he had a higher-level Math Class, Research Writing, since that was one required class that no student got out of, and a history course and literature class to balance out his classes and meet the gen. Ed. Requirements.

Tomorrow he, Nathan and Brad were going to take a tour of the campus and find out where all their classes were.  Scott had suggested it earlier, and though Nathan and Brad had been sure that they would be able to find their classes just fine on the first official day of school, Scott had been firm about finding them beforehand.

The telephone rang and Scott reached to answer it, but Nathan was way ahead of him.  He snatched up the receiver before Scott had a chance to get his hand on it.

"You've reached Scott's dorm room.  This is his answering service.  May I ask your name and your business?" he greeted whoever was on the other line in his best professional voice.

Scott watched with a raised eyebrow and an amused smile as Nathan listened to the person's reply.  Nathan smiled back with a toothy grin…a smile that soon turned sly.  Scott's face turned threatening as he listened to the next words that came out of his friend's mouth.

"Why, yes, Jean, Scott's available.  He'll pick you up Friday night at eight."

Scott made frantic gestures at Nathan to stop right now before he did any real damage, but Nathan ignored Scott's silent, though fervent requests.

"Oh, you mean you just want to talk to him?  I apologize for the misunderstanding.  Here he is now," Nathan finally handed over the receiver, Brad chuckling in the background.

Scott gave Nathan a look that said he was neither amused nor pleased as he snatched the offered receiver, and then he was all smiles and good guy when he greeted Jean.

"Jean!  This is a pleasant surprise.  I wasn't expecting to talk to you again 'til next week."

Brad and Nathan watched their friend's face go from deliriously happy to ecstatically overjoyed.  He stood up on his bed, coming dangerously close to knocking his head on the ceiling and gave a whoop.

"You're serious?!  She's back…and she's okay?" he exclaimed.

Brad and Nathan exchanged looks questioning Scott's sanity, while their shades wearing friend listened to Jean's reply.  Then they shrugged in confusion and turned back to watch the show.

"Well, yeah, she's Rogue.  But still, she's back and she's safe," he breathed, flopping back down onto his bed, sitting Indian style.

Taking a deep breath, Scott exhaled all the worry and guilt that had plagued him for the past four months.

Jean smiled as she heard the relief and joy in Scott's voice.  Except for the Professor, none of the other students or faculty knew how much Rogue's disappearance had affected Scott.  He'd gotten pretty good at hiding it, but it was hard to hide anything from a telepath, especially when Scott was close to both herself and the Professor.

"Can I talk to her?" Scott asked, sounding even more excited.

"Actually, she's out right now with Ororo and Remy," Jean answered apologetically.

"Oh," the excitement left his voice, a little of the depression returning, but now he could shove it away, start being the resilient Scott he used to be.  "Who's Remy?"

"A knew student at the Institute, but I'll tell you about him when you call next week.  And you should be able to talk to Rogue then, too," Jean assured him.  "But I have to go, now.  Danger Room session.  Logan's back, too," Scott chuckled in understanding,  "Xavier said I had just enough time to call and let you know."

"Thanks a lot, Jean," Scott's voice was soft, emotional.

"I didn't want you to keep hurting anymore than you had to," she replied truthfully, hearing the same emotions in her own voice.

"Good luck," he offered for her, his tone becoming lighter.

"I've survived Logan's Danger Room sessions, before.  I'm sure I'll survive this one, too," Jean replied, knowing what he had meant.  "You take care of yourself," she added.

After they exchanged their good-byes and hung up, Jean continued to sit in Xavier's office, staring at the phone.  She knew she should get a move on to change into her X-Men Uniform and get down to the Danger Room, but she wanted a few minutes to herself.

She missed Scott, missed him more than she thought she would.  She was glad Xavier let her talk to him during his weekly calls.  No other student shared that luxury, and she had a feeling, not because of her telepathy, that Xavier understood more than he let on; maybe more than she and Scott understood.

She had no time for this.  She was going to be really late now.  She stood up with a sigh and at the same moment the door opened.  She watched as Xavier, himself, wheeled into the room as she used her telekinesis to scoot the chair back to where it had been.  He smiled at her, one of those genuine smiles he reserved for her, and she returned it.

"Scott's extremely relieved," she said without his having to ask.

"I'm glad.  I was worried that he was starting to let his guilt pull him down too much," Xavier replied.

"He'll be even better after he talks to Rogue, himself," Jean predicted.

"Yes, I think it'll give him some closure," Xavier agreed with a nod.

"Well, I'm late," Jean excused as she headed for the door.  "Later Professor."

"Good luck, Jean."

Rogue turned away from Remy and started to walk off to another area of the store.  He was trying so hard, but she couldn't let him get close.  She'd already made that mistake with him once, and she couldn't let it happen again.  Of course, the last thing she had expected was to run into Lance.

*An' workin', too,* she mused to herself, noticing the nametag pinned to his neater than usual shirt.

He saw her only moments after she had spotted him and she couldn't help the tensing of her body as their eyes met.  There were so many emotions and instincts coursing through her being that she didn't know how to act.  He didn't either by the way he had frozen the moment their gazes had locked.

Calling the moment awkward would have been the understatement of Rogue's life.  The summer had put a lot of bad history between them where previously they had been shaky friends at best and opponents at worst.  Now, well, Rogue wasn't sure how to describe their relationship.  She couldn't forgive how he had treated her, no matter the lame excuse he wanted to give about having to follow Mystique's orders.

Matters went from bad to worse when she heard Remy behind her.  Caught in the moment, she'd forgotten he was here and it didn't help that his one time encounter with Lance and his team had not been friendly.

"You back again fo'anothah try?  Cause we more den happy t'kick yo'ass again, homme," the Cajun threatened macho like.

Lance grunted in surprise when he realized Remy was with her this time too, and took a wary step backwards.  His eyes narrowed, ready to fight.  Rogue knew this couldn't happen, and she had to stop it.

"Remy, don't," she ordered.

"Don'chu worry 'bout nothin', chère.  Remy take care o'dis goon fo'yo, an' yo' won' even have t'dirty yo'hands," he objected.

Rogue turned to him, putting her back to Lance, and looked straight into his eyes.  She came close to forgetting why she had done so as he stared back into hers, gaze intense but unreadable, and her hand reached for his.  What she got was a handful of cards, charged cards, and that was more than enough to remind her of what she was supposed to be doing.

"Remy, Ah said don't."

She didn't know what factors caused him to listen to her instead of continuing with his bull headed ways and engaging Lance.  She didn't care either, as long as he did as she had asked of him.  He de-charged the cards and she let go of them allowing him to return them to his pocket, shooting one last warning glare at Lance.

She didn't give him time for anything more.  She had to get him out of there before the situation escalated.  She'd been surprised that Lance, usually just as hotheaded as Remy, hadn't returned Remy's repartee with snide remarks of his own.  Surprised and pleased as she pushed and ushered Remy out of the store.  She kept pushing him through the main hallway and into a side hallway as the emotions she had kept in check so well back in the store now threatened to break past all her barriers.

She managed to keep a hold on them until they were well into the side hallway away from the crowds and the noise.  At that moment she collapsed emotionally, and not even Carol had any snide remarks to say to her.

Remy's strong arms felt so good wrapped around her, as if they could protect her from the pitfalls of the whole world.  She just wanted him to take her away from here so she didn't have to put up with life anymore.  Some people had it so easy and didn't even know it, like Jean.  Jean, telepathy aside, didn't have a clue how complicated and difficult it was to be Rogue.

Rogue didn't like to feel sorry for herself, and that trait quickly kicked in, forcing her to fight her sobs and push the weakness of her emotions back behind walls where people couldn't take advantage of and play with them.  It was when she finally had herself under control that Remy decided to speak.

"Why didn't you let me-"

Rogue lost it, taking her frustration and anger out on him.  "Don't you undahstand?  We can't staht a fahght lahke that in th'middle of th'mall!  That would be a total disastah!  Th'world don't know that Mutants exist and rahght now they're not ready t'know!"

She watched as his face fell, the action making her regret acting so rashly.  Why did men have to make you yell at them by acting stupidly and then make you regret yelling?  With a sigh Rogue amended her scolding.

"Remy, Ah know ya haven't been at th'Institute long, but ya haf'ta r'membah th'Pr'fessor's goal."

He nodded at her, and caught her eyes.  She saw the sincerity in them and felt relief wash over her.  He wasn't angry with her for yelling at him and he had realized the err of his ways.  She was half surprised at that.  She'd thought maybe that was a trait only Scott possessed.  She realized she had let her guard down again when he whispered words of comfort to her.

"Rogue, let Remy help you," his voice held a pleading tone.

She turned away immediately, slamming the wall into place.  Somehow she found it too easy to let her guard down around him.  She needed to be extra careful about that in the future.

"Ah don't need help," she replied curtly.  "'Specially not yours."

She started to turn away from him, but all he had to do was gently touch her arm and she turned back to listen to what he had to say.  Damn him for making her so weak!

"Den a' least…"  He paused, unsure of himself maybe, and Rogue watched him expectantly  "A' least give Remy a truce."

A truce. 

Rogue had to admit, at least to herself and, consequently, the psyches in her head, that she hadn't expected that.  Once again Remy had surprised her, and in a good way.  A truce would be a good way to slow things down, sort things out, without pushing him away so much.  They could feel each other out with a little more warning than fate had initially given them.  A truce meant she could still enjoy his company, without worrying about whether he was getting too close or whether she was letting him get too close.  Yes, a truce could be a good thing.

"Truce," she stated holding her hand out to him.

He smiled, and shook it, repeating her statement.

"Now," he suggested.  "How 'bout we go shoppin'?"

Rogue smiled, and chuckled, and agreed.

Ororo was so surprised to find Remy and Rogue actually getting along that she had to stop and watch them for a while to make sure it was really them.  She had to admit that it was a pleasant surprise to see them acting friendly to each other, but she couldn't help wondering what had brought about the change.  At the same time, she wasn't going to complain and thought it best to just accept their new alliance and enjoy it.

As she approached the two, Rogue was critiquing herself in a three-sided mirror, while Remy watched her with modest appreciation.  She wore a black on red plaid, pleated, wraparound skirt with a couple of buckles and an oversized safety pin holding the garment closed; a black tank top with an embossed black skull, cracked in half on the breast; and a black sweater with safety pins up the sleeves and in two rows going down the back of it.  She still wore her black stockings, but her sandals had been discarded and Rogue was running around stocking footed.

Rogue scrutinized herself, then walked off towards the shoe section.  She bypassed all the maryjane style, thick-soled tennis shoes, the six-inch stiletto heeled hooker pumps, and the flame toed Doc Martins for the combat boots she loved so much.  Sturdy rubber soled, patent leather, buckle or tie up, Rogue studied them all until she found the pair she liked the most, grabbed a box in what she estimated to be her size and sat down to try them on.  She stood again when she had them both on and tromped around to give them a try.  She smiled and nodded and turned to Remy, spreading her arms in a gesture that asked his opinion.  Ororo was too far away to hear his reply, but she saw Rogue smile and laugh and then sit down again to remove the boots.

Ororo didn't see any reason to hide her presence any longer so approached the two, coming up to stand next to Remy.  He glanced at her with a scoundrel smile and then turned back to watch Rogue at her task.

"Have you found everything you want?" Ororo asked of them.

"At this store, at least," Rogue replied, not looking up from unbuckling the first boot and tugging it off.

"Rogue easy t'please.  She know what she want an' take no time findin' it," Remy grinned, gesturing to the pile of merchandise he held in his arms for her.

Rogue rolled her eyes.  "Ah jus' don't see th' point in takin' forevah tryin' to find what ya already know ya want," she explained.

Ororo chose not to make any comments.  She was enjoying the light banter between the two as opposed to the heavy silence that had previously dominated the conversation between them.  They continued to talk back and forth as if half an hour ago they hadn't been stepping on egg shells around one another and it took a few moments for the awe to recede from Ororo, leaving her able to enjoy the company of the two southerners.

As soon as Rogue had changed back into the apparel she had worn to the mall and everything had been paid for, the three headed out for another store.  Ororo hung back between the two, letting them lead her to whatever store they deemed worthy.  Remy didn't seem to have a preference, but Ororo knew that Rogue was picky about what she wore.  She wouldn't put on just anything, and she usually kept away from anything that most people would classify as fashionable.  Still, the young woman had her own sense of style that worked for her, and she was far from what one could call ugly.

Just ask Remy.

The next store Rogue led them to was a surprise for Ororo.  These two would never cease to surprise her.  Although it wasn't a place that Kitty or Jean would frequent, its apparel was definitely closer to "normal" than Rogue usually wore.  Briefly, Ororo wondered if that had anything to do with Carol, but only briefly.  Immediately the two began to browse through the racks and shelves, making clothing suggestions for each other like old friends, sometimes taking the advice, sometimes not.  Rogue wrinkled her nose when Remy showed her an ankle length khaki skirt with a slit up the back, but welcomed his suggestion of a long sleeved gray t-shirt with dragons running the length of both sleeves.  In return he seemed to like the style of pants she picked out for him, but backed away when she started perusing a rack of men's sweaters that Ororo thought were more down Scott's aisle.

Rogue laughed at him, but left the sweater rack and followed him to the table of plain t-shirts that he seemed to like, picking many from the selection.  When they were done with that table they roamed the store, talking and laughing.  Ororo could see how the newest member of the Institute was pulling Rogue from the usual blanket of anti-social-ness she kept herself wrapped up in.  At the same time, she had never seen Remy act so naturally with anyone at the Mansion.  He was usually very guarded, but he was nothing but himself for Rogue.

When the kids had decided there was nothing else they wanted, and everything had been paid for, Ororo suggested going to a shoe store, but Rogue had already gotten a pair of new boots, and Remy said he didn't need any.  So, instead, they headed to an office supply store to pick up school necessities.  Ororo wasn't surprised by the all black accessories Rogue picked out.  She'd even have black pencils, instead of the yellow number twos, if she could.  Remy's choices weren't far off, although he preferred a range of black and gray items.

"Can we go home, now?" Rogue requested after they had purchased their school supplies.  "Ah'm hungry, an' dinnah hour has come an' passed."

"I secon' de notion," Remy agreed with her.  "Dis Cajun's achin' fo' de la nourriture."

Ororo smiled at them and nodded in agreement.  She, too, was feeling hungry, and Rogue was right in that everyone at the Institute should already have eaten and cleaned up.  There would be nothing left for them but cold leftovers.  So, as they all climbed into the car, Ororo suggested stopping by a drive through and picking up a meal that way.  Both teens eagerly agreed, argued over which restaurant to eat at, and finally settled on one, when Ororo urged them to be quick in their decision.

After buying dinner, they all munched happily on their way home.  At least, as happily as two southerners used to the spiciness of the south forced to eat bland northern food could be.  Rogue was more used to it than Remy, but she still craved the bold flavor of her native home and wasn't always happy with settling for less.  Tonight, however, there were no complaints.  Not even passing comments on the lack of taste.

As soon as Ororo had the car parked, her charges jumped out, and started grabbing shopping bags.  Remy, ever trying to be the gentleman, offered and even tried to carry all the bags and the trash from their meal.  But Rogue wouldn't let him, wouldn't have even had he been able to carry everything.  As it was, they shared the load, each supporting a bevy of bags that could have held their own purchases or the others.

Before they charged into the Mansion, Ororo remembered to tell them that they had a Danger Room Session ASAP and to get changed and head on down there.  And that Logan was probably already waiting.  Rogue groaned, Remy smiled, and then they both disappeared.

Ororo had her own meeting to worry about.  Now that she'd had time to observe the two, she could report her findings to Charles and Hank.  Logan would be filled in at a later time.  Making sure the garage door was closed and secure, she followed Remy and Rogue's example, and made her way inside, heading for Charles' office.


	12. Has no one told you she's not breathing?

Title:  The House of the Rising Sun, Chapter 9

Author: Goddess Evie

Date:  August 26, 2003

Genre:  Romance (Remy/Rogue, Scott/Jean, Lance/Kitty), Action, Drama, Angst, AU, heck, it's got it all.  ^_^

Rating: G, and I really don't think this'll get above PG.

Disclaimer:  I do NOT own X-men of any incarnation.  I am but a poor, fanatical, poor, college student who much enjoys a show so that she writes extensive (and hopefully intriguing, enjoyable, and highly popular) fanfiction to feed her insatiable hunger for anything X-men.  The title of this fic, a quote from a popular old song by the same name, does not belong to me (obviously) and I'd love to give credit where credit is due, but I have NO idea who sings it.  Still, it's not mine.  Also, the song lyric I use as the optional title for this prologue doesn't belong to me either.  I'm quoting the song "Hello" by Evanesence.  That concert was so awesome.  I want the outfit she wore for the first half of the concert.  I love Evanesence!  STUPID THIEF BRING MY CDs BACK!  But, sadly, I own nothing but the plot so don't sue me cause I can't even pay for college!  WAAAAH!

Summary:  Tragedy strikes in the Danger Room.

Author's Note:  Yeah, I updated!  I bet you thought I was dead.  I apologize for taking so long!  GOMEN!  Real life decided to come along and make me very busy.  But I finally found the time, energy, motivation and inspiration to finish this chapter.  Don't ask me when the next one will come out.  Once again, what I had planned for this chapter did not pan out.  It never does.  Oh, poo.  But at least something happens and the story progresses. Still, the first title I picked for the story was chosen because of what I had planned, and now it doesn't fit and I had to pick something else.  But Evanesence works just fine for me!  And now onto the newest segment in the introductory section, REVIEW RESPONSES!! YEAH! 

Review Responses:

Jen1703- Look!  I updated!  But later rather than sooner.  And sorry, no Jean/Scott stuff.  I am not a fan of them. Okay, to be honest, I hate them.  So, it's hard for me to right them nice and/or mushy.  But I am trying my hardest!  And I promise, I do have something planned for them.  It just won't happen for a while.  But I'm doing the best I can!  Sheesh, gimme some slack!

N- Wow!  What a cool name.  Just N!  Very mysterious.  Anyways, the Rogue and Remy meeting happens in Chapter 10, so you're just going to have to force yourself to get into and read it.  I promise, I did my best to make it good and not boring or hard to get into.  Maybe you can just skip to the Rogue and Remy part and read just that.  Those are the best parts, anyway.

Ryoko Subaru- Remy and Rogue are ALWAYS too cute for words.  Even when they're mad and fighting and not getting along.  And, uh, hey, I updated!  ^_^

Me- Man, I feel like I'm talking to myself!  Teehee.  I did promise Kitty and Lance and I'm working on it.  It's just, when you love Remy and Rogue as much as I do, it's hard to not center around them.  But I promise those two will have their moment.  But man, I gotta go find my notes!  I'm glad you're enjoying the Scott and Jean stuff.  Like I told Jen1703 I'm doing my best to write those two, my most hated characters.  Brad and Nathan are actually fun, though.  I do have something planned for them.  Oh, so muh to write, so little…I won't finish that.

Gaea- I must agree with that whole Remy and Rogue being the best couple in the universe.  There is no other fictional pairing I root for more.  Evanesence rocks.  They're concert was kick@$$.  I miss my CD.  Stupid people breaking into my car and stealing my stuff.  But at least I have them DLed for my WinAmp.  Thank Providence for WinAmp.

Ishandahalf- Honey, I love you for your long, beautiful exciting reviews.  I must hug you, now.  *hugs*  I really don't know what to say to you except, keep reading and keep reviewing.  Now, how to respond to all you reviewed?  ^_^  First of all, I love Rogue's outfit, too.  Hot Topic is my inspiration.  I love that store, but I'm not rich enough to buy things from it on a regular basis.  I need to be a millionaire.  Then I can walk in, say "Give me one of everything in size…" and be happy happy.  I just bought awesome new boots there and I have three goth dresses from that store, and a few other things.  There's a dress I've been eyeing for a while and when my money comes back for school, I think I'm going to get it for myself.  ^_^  I'll shutup now.  You can get to reading.  GIT, now!

Chapter 9:  "_Has no one told you she's not breathing?_"

Rogue mused about her trip to the mall as she changed into more comfortable clothing to wear for her Danger Room session.  She had already tried to put on a uniform to find that, like everything else in her closet, it didn't fit.  So, she was forced to scrounge around for something else that would be suitable for her endeavors.  She settled on a pair of gray sweatpants, rolled at the waist (they had been way too big for her before her growth spurt), a black tank top with a t-back, and a green hoodie that zipped up the front.  She zipped it half way, then sat down on her bed to pull on her socks and shoes.

The first ten minutes after she and Remy had agreed on a truce had been awkward.  She hadn't been sure what to say or how to act.  It had been weird to worry about how she presented herself to someone.  The talk had been reduced to idle chitchat until finally Remy had said something that struck Rogue as absolutely hilarious, and she responded with a comment that made him laugh.  And from there it had been so easy.

Dressed and as ready as any Mutant could be for a Danger Room session, Rogue stood and left her room.  She closed her door behind her and headed down the hall to the main stairway.  Remy was waiting for her at the top, leaning against one post, with his back facing towards her.  She smiled, thinking maybe she could sneak up on him, but just as she was going to place her gloved hands over his eyes he grabbed her wrists, holding onto them as he turned to face her with a grin of his own.

"Essai de nice, chère," he told her.

"Can ya blame me?" she replied, raising a cocky eyebrow at him.  "You set yourself up."

"Mais, I still heard y'from halfway down de hall," he informed her.

Rogue narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously, but didn't call his bluff.  Instead, she reminded him, "Well, we still need t'get t'the Dangah Room for our session."

She pulled herself from his grip, then winced when she saw him shake out his hands.  She'd gotten a little too careless and had forgotten her new powers.

"Sorry," she told him sheepishly.

"Don' be," he assured her, smiling away the pain.  "Now, le's go b'fo dat Logan guy has a fit."

Rogue smiled back then started down the stairs, taking them at a fast jog.  She stepped off the last one and kept her pace, striding toward the inconspicuous elevator that led down to the sub-floors.  Remy was right beside her immediately, and she was amazed at how he could be so fast and yet not give off a single sound.  She'd have to ask him about that later.

Through a few open doors, Rogue saw her peers in their daily activities.  Amara, Jubilee and Rahne were giggling at a movie in one room while Ray, Sam, Roberto and Bobby played foos ball at one of the tables in the same room.  Jean, Kitty, Evan and Kurt were relaxing in another, talking and laughing.  A part of Rogue wanted to join them.  The part of her that was glad to be back, despite the fact that she'd sit outside their circle, as usual and not offer more than the occasional sarcastic and sometimes rude comment.

The rest of her was more than happy to stay with Remy and spend time with him, as much as she hated to admit it.  He was charming, and southern, and funny, and sincere.  She could go on and on, but she wouldn't let herself do that.  She couldn't let herself start thinking that way because thoughts led to actions and those kinds of actions couldn't happen for her.  Friends. That's all they could be and she would live with that.

And her heart broke telling herself that.  It usually did when she had reminded herself that she couldn't get close to a guy she was crushing on.  Like Scott.  Yet, somehow the pain of this heartbreak paled any other heartbreaks she'd ever experienced.  It was like she was trying to tell herself to throw away a piece of her own soul.

"Fortune fo' yo' t'oughts?" Remy's voice cut to her very soul.

"Jus' thinkin' 'bout how nahce it is t'be back," she gave him a half-truth.

She wasn't about to reveal to him the whole of her thoughts.  Especially since they would only help to puff up his already oversized ego.  There were enough people who thought they were Xavier's gift to the Institute without adding Remy's name to that list.  Half the guys here probably thought that of themselves at least once while they were staying here.  Remy just tended to think it of himself on a more permanent basis.

"Not a bad place t'live," he mused idly, looking around.  "Anyt'ing a teen could want's been pr'vided.  Fun an' games, food, bed t'sleep in, even belles femmes t'flirt wit' an' git t'know."

Rogue rolled her eyes.  _Case in point_, she thought to herself.

{And yet you like him anyways.  What's wrong with you?} Carol asked in her head.

_Nothin'.  Ah've already tol' myself it ain't gonna happen_," she assured back.

{Good.  Wouldn't want happening to him what happened to me,} Carol's voice took on its usual snide tone.

_Neither would Ah_, "Rogue assured rudely, _It's bad enough having **you** in there without him, too.  Not to mention Ah get enough of him when he's **not** in mah head_.

Rogue could sense that Carol was going to reply in a none too kind fashion, so slammed her mental blocks into place.  There was no point getting agitated at a woman who was rightfully hateful of her.  Besides, she needed to get herself psyched up for the Danger Room.  Knowing that Logan would be in charge, Rogue didn't hesitate to expect to put all her skills, training and newly gained Mutant powers to the test and have them taxed to their limit.  From what she had learned, Logan wanted both to get Remy used to working in the Danger Room, and see what Rogue's borrowed powers could really do.

She didn't blame him.  She was getting sick already of not being able to control her own strength.     This morning she hadn't even been able to peel a banana without squishing it before she'd even had a chance to get the skin off.  And she knew she had loosened more than one door from its hinges, not to mention jerking Remy's hands a bit too hard when she'd attempted to free herself.  Sighing, she wondered if she would ever get herself under control.  It had been hard enough with just one mutation, but now she had more to think about, and sometimes it just got to feeling like she would never find the control she so greatly desired.

"Yo' doin' it again, chère," Remy interrupted as he pushed the down button for the elevator.

Rogue blushed.  "Sorry," she apologized.

She knew he didn't quite understand everything about her powers.  She had yet to tell him that she had a very angry persona in her head that she tended to have arguments with.  She hadn't found the courage to tell him that.  Wasn't it bad enough that she couldn't endure any physical touch without adding to the fact that she suffered from a corrupted form of multiple personality syndrome?  God, when had her life become so messed up?

_The day I found out about my mutation_," she answered herself.

"Ya look so sad, chère.  What's wrong?" Remy's voice was soft and full of caring.  It caressed her woes like satin against the skin.

"Ah gotta lotta things on mah mind," was all she told him.

She was thankful that their arrival at the entry to the Danger Room, complete with a waiting Logan, put off any further inquiries he might make.  Logan looked like his usual gruff, pissed-off self, and Rogue sensed that Remy and Logan rubbed each other the wrong way by the way both of them stood up straighter, waiting for the chance to square off.

"Yer late," was all Logan said, "And not even in uniform."

"They don' fit," Rogue replied boldly, never one to back down from a challenge.

Logan answered with a growl then thumbed in the direction of the Danger Room.  "Go on in.  I'll be up in the control tower.  I'll let you know what you'll be up against once we're all in place."

With that he walked off, punching the button to open the large Danger Room doors as he passed.  Remy and Rogue exchanged a daunted look before both of them slipped into what they felt was their doom.

To be truthful, everything was going just fine.  Rogue had never felt so empowered in the Danger Room. Usually, she couldn't do much more than dodge the obstacles, trying to stay out of the way of danger while also keeping a sharp look out for the unexpected.  Her power was not exactly an offensive attack like Evan's or Scott's and in the Danger Room, she never got to put it to the test since it was impossible to absorb holograms and machinery.  But now…now she was bashing and smashing and taking on the offensive.

And absolutely loving it.  She felt unstoppable.  She felt useful.  For once she wasn't there just to bond with the team.  She could actually do something.  She couldn't wait to show the rest of the X-Men what she could do.

She also liked working with Remy, or Gambit as he had chosen for his team name.  He was no amateur, but then she had already found that out back in New Orleans.  Still, it was nice to know she wasn't working with a rookie who might decide they could handle the Danger Room by themselves.  Gambit communicated easily, simply, without taking too much time to explain everything out in detail, like Scott had a tendency to do and he listened to everything Rogue had to say and took it into consideration.

They worked well as a team.  Rogue felt more secure with just Gambit then she had at times with the teammates she had been training with for the past year.  She wasn't sure how to explain it, and it made her feel uncomfortable because she wasn't used to being so trusting of someone so soon.  But there was no time to think of that right now.  She needed to focus on getting into the secret government lab, rescuing the mutants and seeing about erasing the data on the computers. At least, that was her and Gambit's current simulation.

Gambit had taken lead and Rogue hadn't objected.  He seemed to know what he was doing sneaking into and around the high security building.  He easily picked locks, bypassed codes and took out cameras.  Rogue had a feeling he was very experienced in this area, but it made her question why.  What had Gambit done before he had joined the X-Men?  Rogue made a mental note to ask him about it.

They ran into their share of security personnel, but between the two, the guards turned out to be no problem.  So far they had managed to take out a good twenty of them without alerting anyone to their presence or having an alarm pulled.  Gambit was even careful enough to stow the bodies so that nobody would happen upon them so easily and figure out something was amiss.  Rogue wished she knew how far into the mission they were.  It seemed like they had been sneaking around forever, but she had no way of knowing if they'd even made it halfway to their goal.

Gambit looked at her then pointed his gaze to a sign at the end of the hall.  It pointed the way out both to the testing and holding areas and the rooms in which the data and information were stored.  Rogue smiled, then debated over splitting up, one of them going to take care of the records that needed to be erased and the other freeing the mutants that had been captured.  They could both take care of themselves, easily and the job would get done faster.  But there were still many dangers ahead, not to mention they had no communication devices to stay in contact with.  Plus, there was always safety in numbers.

"We stay t'gedder," Gambit whispered close to her ear and she nodded her agreement.

Rogue was mildly pleased that he had made the same decision as herself.  She had seen the calculating look in his eyes as he had weighed and measured their options.  He had probably had a similar thought process to her own.

"Which way fuhst?" she asked back, keeping her own voice low.

"What d'you t'ink?" he returned as his eyes wavered between their two options.

Rogue didn't answer immediately, but took the time again to weigh the pros and cons.  Time may have been precious, but that didn't excuse making rash decisions and failing.  Trying to think as fast as she could she finally answered, "Let's go erase th'data.  Hopefully, we can do that without settin' off any alarms an' then go aftah our fallen comrades.  We won't know what condition they'll be in until we actu'lly save'em."

Gambit nodded his agreement and then motioned for her to follow as they crept down the hall to the intersection.  Rogue felt a sense of pride.  Remy's leadership style was so much different from Scott's.  The now college bound young man had always relied on giving orders and expecting them to be followed, rarely asking for anybody else's input.  Nobody had ever complained, but then that had always been the way things had been.  Nobody had known better.

Well, now Rogue did.  She preferred this being asked opinions and having them valued.  It really made her feel like she was doing her part, new mutant powers or not.  Even prior to her encounter with Carol Danvers, Rogue would have felt like the valued member of the team she was supposed to be if Scott had asked for his teammates points of view more often.

They had made it to the room containing the data.  It was all in a huge computer that took up most the area of a very spacious room including ceiling to floor.  Rogue wasn't sure how Gambit had gotten the both of them in without being spotted, or how they had continued to go unspotted with all the scientists and guards trolling around, but she didn't think she wanted to know, either.  All that really mattered was finishing the mission successfully.

"What's th'plan now, Gambit?" Rogue asked only to get immediately waved into silence, which quite irked her.

She huffed, but otherwise kept quiet, watching as Gambit watched the population of the room.  Guards patrolled the room, keeping a sharp lookout, though not sharp enough, and Scientists came and went, inputting date, recalling files and studying information.  Rogue began to doubt this decision.  Perhaps it would have been better to get the Mutant captives out and then storming the control room, destroying everything before making their final escape.  But it was too late, now, to change their minds.  They would just have to make this plan of action work.

Rogue felt Gambit by her ear again and perked to his voice, paying close attention to what he told her: "We gonna make ourselves a distraction. Blow up de computers and den go get de Mutants out."

It wasn't the best plan.  Not the worst either, and it would do.  They would have to be careful when they made their exit from this room not to be spotted, but they had gotten in undetected, hadn't they?  Keeping her eyes trained on Gambit for signals, she watched as he placed both hands on the computer (which was one large unit) and concentrated.  A faint, glowing red began to spread from the spot where he'd made contact and he continued to make use of his Mutant powers for a few moments longer until the charge had spread enough to take up a good portion of the computer.

And then he was pushing her hastily away.  Rogue moved quickly, making use of her flight ability to travel along as smoothly and quietly as possible.  She knew Gambit was right behind her, could sense him even though she couldn't hear him.  They had to get out before the computer turned ticking time bomb exploded.

They were almost to the door, the only entrance or exit the room had, when a guard shouted, pointing right in their direction.  Rogue froze, but only for a moment, and then she was on the move again, this time with Gambit in tow.  Having grabbed him by the sleeve, she now trailed him behind her as she sped for the exit, feet not even touching the ground.

They burst out the door with shouts of "intruders", "Mutants", and "Stop them" trailing them, immediately followed by the explosion.  Rogue stopped for none of it.  They're objective was only halfway complete.

"Don' slow down, chère.  Keep goin'," Gambit called to her when he sensed that she was going to slow down.

With the urgency of his words to fuel her, along with the blaring claxon alarms that added to the chaos, Rogue continued along the hall towards the holding area where all the Mutants were being held.  This hallway stretched on longer than the one to the Computer Room, and was littered with plenty of armed guards.  But with her invincibility and strength, Rogue rushed through them like they were plastic green army men, remembering to keep Gambit protected, also.

Finally, Rogue saw huge metal doors at the end of the hall that could only be what they were looking for.  "Hold on, Cajun.  Ah'm bustin' through," she yelled the hasty warning.

Still in mid-air, Rogue twisted so that she was facing the door with her back and cradled her teammate to her in front.  She just hoped she could supply the protection to Gambit that he needed as they blasted through the metal.  With her new powers, she would be able to handle it, but he would not.

She felt the impact, marveled still that she felt no pain, then continued to hurtle into the room, Gambit clutched to herself.  _Ya gotta stop ya'self_, she reminded herself.

She concentrated on shutting off whatever part of her body made her fly-

[Take this, bitch!]

-and found herself hurtled into a mental hell.

Remy wasn't sure why Rogue was screaming.  She was supposed to be invincible, so he'd figured busting through that metal door would be painless for her.  He could feel her thrashing beneath him and quickly rolled off to inspect any damage.  His first relief came when he saw there was no blood or broken bones.  But the relief was short lived as Rogue continued to scream, her head held between her hands as if in a vice.

"Chère, wha's wrong?  **Rogue**!" he yelled at her, hoping to snap her to attention, but his yells went unheard.

Catching a glimpse of her face, he saw nothing short of pure terror marring her beautiful features.  It was more than enough for him to wrap his arms around her and try to hold her still.  She struggled against him at first, thrashing about as if being attacked, but eventually allowed him to hold her.  Her cries and screams of pain and agony continued no matter the method Remy tried to get her to calm down and he couldn't figure out who she was screaming at.

He hadn't even noticed that the simulation had been shut down until Logan squatted beside them, a mean but concerned expression running through his eyes.  Remy wasn't sure, but he had the feeling Logan knew what was happening.  He wanted to ask questions, the words were on the tip of his tongue, but before he could make a sound Logan had scooped Rogue from his arms and was stalking off with her.

Stunned for a moment, feeling suddenly empty and useless and not liking it, Remy stared after Logan's retreating form until he came to his senses and went after them.  At a fast run down the hall Remy just barely made it into the elevator before the doors closed.  Logan growled at him angrily, though what about Remy couldn't say.  Nor did he care.  His attention and concern were all for Rogue.

The elevator doors opened on the paneled halls of the ground level of the mansion and Remy followed Rogue and Logan like a zombie.  His gaze never left the pale face of the girl who had somehow captured his heart so quickly.  The twisted features of her visage caused the Cajun even more pain and worry, wondering what could cause so much pain to one who didn't deserve it.

Abruptly, a door was slammed in his face and Remy found himself staring at wood paneling that matched the walls of the hall.  The jarring slam shook him back to his senses and he realized that he was now staring at the closed-and most likely locked-door of Xavier's office.  He could pick the lock, even debated it, getting himself inside and demanding what the hell was going on.  But he knew what the ramifications of those actions would be and knew it just wasn't worth it.  No, that wasn't the truth.  It _was_ worth it, but Remy also had other responsibilities to see to, and he couldn't blow his cover, no matter what.

Running a hand through his hair, Remy turned from the door and began to trudge toward the stairs that led to the second floor and the dormitories.  Not feeling in the mood, now, to be sociable, he figured his best bet would be to hide in his room until news of Rogue's condition was available.

"Just like I told ya, Chuck," came Logan's growled greeting, heralded by the slam of Xavier's office door.

But Charles had known they were coming and even why, perks of being a Telepath.  The mental attack on Rogue had also hit himself, and he assumed Jean also, with unexpected fury, while he and Ororo had been discussing the events of her outing with Rogue and Remy.  Xavier had been able to gain control of himself and put up shields to keep the attack out, but also knew that Rogue had faltered from the beginning.  He hadn't had time, since she'd returned to the Mansion, to work with her, and upon seeing her now, he wished he had made the time.

Immediately, Charles had sent Ororo down to the infirmary to warn Hank.  Xavier wasn't sure, at this point, it Hank and the infirmary would be needed, but it wouldn't hurt to be prepared.  He also wanted to rid the room of as many distractions as he could.  He knew Logan would insist on staying, and Charles could handle that.  But sometimes, even for himself, too many extra minds in the room could cause problems, and with Rogue's situation being so delicate, he was going to try and avoid that.

Although Xavier was still sketchy on all the details of what had happened to Rogue, he could tell without even having entered her mind, that Rogue's new mind mate was a strong willed person.  Charles wouldn't be surprised if the mutant had been a telepath, although Rogue hadn't exhibited any problems most newly developed telepaths usually had to deal with.  Still, there was only one way to find out.

"I'm going to enter her mind, Logan.  Make yourself comfortable, this might take a while," the Professor warned.

Logan grunted and took a seat, still cradling Rogue in his arms.  Xavier nodded, then closed his eyes and dove into Rogue's mind.

Jean Grey had been in Kitty and Rogue's room, helping the bubbly brunette pick out an outfit for the first day of school, when she got hit with a mental blast that raged an angry red in her head and sent her to her knees with a pained yelp.  It lasted only a few moments and Jean was able to put up mental blocks to block out the majority of the attack before it subsided on it's own.

"Jean, are you alright?  What happened?" a very frightened Kitty asked, kneeling in front of the closet next to the red head with her hand gently placed on the telepath's shoulder.

Jean forced a smile for Kitty to help ease the girl's worries and assured, "I'm fine."

"But what happened?" Kitty's nerves did ease, Jean could sense, but there was still worry clouding her voice and her eyes.

"I'm not sure.  A mental attack," Jean replied, shaking her head as Kitty helped her to stand.

"Mesmero?  Mastermind?" Kitty asked immediately, her analytical mind immediately throwing out possibilities.

"No, and it wasn't directed at me.  I just got the backlash.  I think it came from the Danger Room," Jean verified.

Kitty was silent in thought for a few moments before offering, "I think Rogue and Remy were training this afternoon with Logan."

The girls' eyes met for a moment before they were both moving automatically, in sync, out the door and down the hall.  They didn't know if there was any way they would be able to help, but the least they could do is offer their services.  Of course, that gave them the dual opportunity to find out exactly what had happened and who had been hurt.  They both worried over the safety of Rogue, who had just returned back to the fold and who both had come to care for greatly.

They met Remy on the stairs, looking exhausted and worn with worry, giving them the answer they sought before they had a chance to get to the real action.  Remy looked up and saw them, though he didn't really seem to see them, and gave them a smile, probably more from habit then anything else.  Jean tried briefly to read his emotions, but he was a non-entity to her in that aspect.  He had been from the day he'd entered the house, and to Jean that was slightly frustrating, but, she knew, none of her business.

He tried to slip past the two girls, but they weren't about to have this source of information get away.  Stepping together to block off his exit, they both trained their eyes on him until they had his attention, and then began their tirade.  They each had a million questions, which they wanted answered immediately without giving him room to answer, and trying to talk over each other confused his tired mind.

"Woah, woah, woah," he called over them, waving his arms as he tried to shush them.

They both blinked at him owlishly, but were mercifully quiet.

"Look, I'll tell ya ev'ry't'ing I know.  Je promets, " he assured them. "But can we at leas' fin' a place t'sit?"

Jean and Kitty looked at him for a moment as if what he was asking was simply outrageous, but then somehow managed to turn him around and link their arms with him escort style, all very fluently.  Remy felt very off guard, and being exhausted didn't help.  He didn't like to feel like he was being controlled instead of being the one in control.  But at the moment he didn't have a choice.  He just hoped he could get through this as quickly and painlessly as possible so he could go crash.

It was very late into the night before Xavier receded from Rogue's mind, satisfied enough that what he had put into place would hold until he had a chance to work with Rogue on building her defenses stronger, along with a few other tricks he'd had in mind.  He did manage to find out that she had used some of the mental blocking techniques on her intruder, but they weren't strong enough when the psyche decided to attack full out.

There were a few other things he had discovered as well, but first he needed to take care of Logan and Rogue.  Logan was still awake and looking calm, just barely.  Xavier was slightly surprised that the man had stayed so long, holding Rogue pretty much in the same position for so many hours.  Xavier would not have blamed him had he decided to leave Rogue resting in a chair or some makeshift bed.  His presence really wasn't needed, but Charles knew he cared for the kids much more than he ever showed them.

Rogue, for her part, was still unconscious, but at least it was the unconsciousness of sleep, now.  She looked more peaceful and at ease, and not like she was in constant pain.  That was a clear and definite improvement and Charles was sure Logan had picked up on it.

"Thank you, Logan.  I think things are under control, now.  I suggest you put Rogue to bed and then head there yourself," Charles smiled graciously at the man with the gruff exterior.

"What about yourself?" Logan asked as he rose, shifting the young woman in his arms.

"I'll be fine.  I want to take some time to process what I found within Rogue's mind," Charles answered truthfully.

"Don't stay up too late," Logan admonished before the door closed behind him.

Xavier smiled even as his fingers steepled in the gesture that meant he was in deep thought or consideration.  Immediately, his mind was upon the matter of Rogue's latest psyche and the strength this new persona possessed. Of course, the attributes of the person stayed with Rogue the longer they kept skin contact, but just how long did Rogue have a hold on the person.  Charles longed to know the specifics of the incident.  All Logan had been able to tell him was what Rogue had revealed on their trip back to Bayville.

The condition of the victim was also something Xavier was curious about.  The effects of being touched by Rogue usually meant the person blacked out briefly.  But to have so much stolen, mutant powers, memory, personality, what effect would that have on the person?

But what really bothered Charles was the feeling he'd had when he'd been in Rogue's mind battling for control with this new psyche.  It was a feeling of familiarity and recognition.  But he hadn't had the chance to see who it actually was.  The psyche's blind rage and pure emotion had blocked him.  It had taken all his resources to gain control and raise the blocks to keep any more attacks from happening, and even then the psyche had worked at the walls, weakening them even as he built them up.  He would need to have daily sessions with Rogue to make sure those walls weren't torn down and Rogue attacked again.

Now, Charles tried to recall anyone he had met who had those same mutant attributes.  Unfortunately for him, he had met a lot of people in his life, mutant and non, but fortunately, his telepathic mind was better than normal human minds in more ways then one.  He had the ability of consciously storing and rearranging memories in his own brain.  Now he just had to go through all those memories to find the right one.


	13. There's a pain that sleeps inside It sl...

Title: _The House of the Rising Sun_, Chapter 10

Author: Goddess Evie

Date: 08/28/04

Genre: Romance (Remy/Rogue, Scott/Jean, Lance/Kitty), Action, Drama, Angst, AU, heck, it's got it all…just not all in one chapter.

Rating: G, and I really don't think this'll get above PG.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own X-Men of any incarnation. I am but a poor, fanatical, poor, college graduate who much enjoys a show so that she writes extensive (and hopefully intriguing, enjoyable, and highly popular) fanfiction to feed her insatiable hunger for anything X-Men and is poor, if I haven't mentioned that already. Also, the song lyric I used as the title doesn't belong to me either. I'm quoting the song "Disappear" by Hoobastank from their "The Reason" album. Gods, I love that CD. But, sadly, I own nothing but the plot so don't sue me cause I need all my money for my mission!

Summary: The morning after doom music and the first day of school. Well, only the morning before, really.

Author's notes: I totally got the inspiration for this chapter out of nowhere and wrote most of it last night. I had already started it once before, but lost it when my computer crashed earlier this year. I'm glad it did, because for once I liked my second version better. I just needed to get things going again, trying to advance to the next major plot development. But for now enjoy the cuteness of the mutants. I had some fun with Kurt and Evan, heheheheheh. Enjoy the update. P.S. I had to have Remy describe Rogue's outfit just so I could get it in there. I have so much fun creating different goth/punk outfits for her.

Review Responses:

Rogue4787-Thank you so much! I'm sorry I took so long to update, and also that not much happens in this chapter, but I hope you still enjoy this update as much as you have the rest of my story. I agree with you about Bella, too. I've ALWAYS hated that blonde bimbo (no offense to blonde readers of my story. I love you guys, just not Bella. ) And yes, I am having Rogue and Remy be seventeen-ish. They are both juniors in high school. That way I could have fun putting them in some same classes.

Talichernin-Who's like a telepath? Rogue? No. shrugs And thank you. I take pride in my writing and having it be grammatically correct. But I didn't spend any time beta-ing this chapter, so I hope the mistakes aren't too bad.

Me-Be glad that I finally updated, again!

Ishandahalf-Once again, thank you for the VERY long review you left me. I love reading your reviews. I hope there is enough Rogue and Remy mushie in this chapter. Although, really, it's more cute bickering than mushie. Remy has his moments, though. I hope it's good enough for you! I hope you're still around to read it! And even more importantly, leave me a wonderful review! Thank you so much, dear!

Jen1703-Don't worry, Jen. I don't plan on doing anything mean to them. They will suffer nothing more than would be usual for any of the mutants in times of crisis and what not. Just trust me.

Chapter 10: _There's a pain that sleeps inside. It sleeps with just one eye and awakens the moment that you leave._

Rogue awoke when a pillow hit her head. She growled and pulled the covers up over her head, effectively blocking out the morning light and hopefully whoever was attacking her. She needed at least another hour of sleep and she'd been having the nicest dream about Remy…

"Get up, Rogue! Your alarm clock has been going off for like the last fifteen minutes and you're still not ready for school," Kitty's voice ordered.

That explained the annoying buzzing sound. Grumbling, Rogue pushed her covers away and sat up, glaring at the room in general. She managed to hit the right button to shut off her alarm clock after slapping it a few times. Unfortunately, Kitty was humming a little too cheerfully for-she squinted at her alarm clock-six twenty in the morning.

"Oh, and Storm asked me to tell you that you have a session with the professor at seven, so like hurry up!" Kitty informed right before she headed out the door, already completely dressed and ready for the first day of school, and down to breakfast.

Rogue rubbed her eyes as she climbed out of bed. She hated mornings. Her stomach grumbled at her and her knees felt weak. She sat back down on the bed, realizing how dizzy she was. She felt like she'd missed dinner AND lunch the day before on top of working in the Danger Room all day.

[Or you just received a vicious dose of Carol Danvers.]

"That's rahght," Rogue grumbled, suddenly remembering the attack her extra personality had ambushed her with. "What the hell were ya tryin' to do, anyways?"

[Kill you.]

"Kill me, an' ya kill ya'self," Rogue reminded. "Ah'm the body yer stuck with, at th'moment."

No response. Rogue smirked and tried her feet again. She waited a couple of seconds until she felt steady enough before actually attempting walking. But she wasn't as wearisome as she might have been, considering the ordeal she'd been put through the day before. Remembering Kitty's urging, Rogue dug around in dresser and closet for something to wear, then headed to the bathroom.

She avoided the larger shower room most of the mutants were forced to use. Both the male and female dormitories had them, added, Rogue found out, when single bathrooms had begun overflowing and actual fights had been started. At least on the girls side. Xavier had forced Rogue to share a room, but he had agreed it would be too dangerous to share bathroom.

Instead she headed further on down the hall to one of the single bathrooms. Just as she was approaching the door it opened to reveal an immaculately groomed Jean Grey, red hair swaying along her back and smile on her face.

"Morning Rogue," Jean sang cheerily with a flashed smile as they passed. "The bathrooms all yours."

Rogue opted not to answer. She usually didn't, and the mutants who knew her knew it was because she was always grumpy after just waking up and not because she was especially bitchy at any one of them.

A quick, hot shower felt good and helped her to wake up. The fluffy towel and warm steam filled bathroom after helped to lighten her mood as well as soften the blow for when she wiped the fog off the mirror and saw how much like death warmed over she really looked.

Carol was more than happy to provide colorful commentary on Rogue's current state, the unusual chirp in her voice assuring Rogue that she was proud she had been the cause. Rogue ignored her best she could as she pulled on her clothes and began applying make-up. After what had happened yesterday, she had decided it best not to confront Carol directly unless necessary.

When Rogue looked at her wet hair, still longer then she usually kept it, she frowned and wondered what the hell she was going to do with it. She shook her head, watching her shoulder length locks swing back and forth. She hadn't yet had time to get it cut, and truthfully was still undecided on whether she really wanted to. She'd just have to try the longer hair and see if she liked it. It would have helped to have a little more time to experiment, but if she didn't do something with her mane quickly, she would be late with her appointment with Xavier.

Making a quick decision, she found a hair clip she could live with that also matched her outfit and pulled the hair around her face into a simple half ponytail. Before she clipped the barrette on she pulled a few white tendrils of hair out to frame her face, then set the do in place.

As she looked at herself she knew she wasn't the best judge of how she looked. She admitted she did look pretty…somewhat, but she wasn't really sure if she liked it. She'd never really paid much attention to her hair. With it longer and needing more management, she was more aware of it than before.

"Well, Ah guess it'll have t'do," she sighed.

Quickly, Rogue cleaned up after herself, then headed out into the hallway. She stopped briefly in her room, to drop off her pajamas, then was on her way to Xavier. As she headed toward the main staircase she could hear dozens of teen and preteen voices running around trying to get ready for the school day. She was still slightly amazed by how many new mutants had arrived during her summer absence. The mansion had seemed crowded before, but now it was more like a riot.

They'll learn soon enough, Rogue thought to herself as she prepared to head into the fray.

She wasn't prepared to see Remy casually leaning against the stair post at the top of the landing as students ran up and down the stairs behind him. He shuffled a deck of cards skillfully, paying little attention to the ruckus going on behind him. He was obviously waiting for someone and Rogue had no doubt it was her he waited for. She wanted to turn back, wait until he gave up and headed downstairs himself. But she continued toward the stair, no sign of hesitation in her body language.

"Rogue, dere y'are," he called when he noticed her coming.

She didn't meet his eye, barely looked at him, preferring to keep her gaze on the people moving around behind him. It would be easier that way. It always was.

"You okay, chére? You scared Remy, yesserday."

She didn't want to explain. He knew enough as it was. He didn't need to know the entire truth. No one did. It would be better if she just kept it to herself. Easier. She didn't want anymore complications in her life.

"Ah'm fahne," she said as she breezed past, keeping her focus on the stairs and getting down them without a hitch.

She was just past him when he grabbed her arm, forcing Rouge to look at him. The glare she laid on him made some of the others around them take a step or two back. He returned the look with concern clouding his beautiful, intense eyes. It took all of Rogue's will to not melt for those eyes. Not to cry for those eyes and tell all her fears and worries about the last summer.

In the end, it was her iron will that saved her from making a scene. Her eyes remained cold and easily pulled her arm from his grasp.

"Ah said Ah was fahne," she repeated, jogging down the stairs as fast as her feet could take her.

Everyone maneuvering the giant staircase moved out her way, making a clear path for her. She wasn't sure if her reputation had preceded her or if she had just scared them all with the one look. But she was glad for clear escape. She could have gotten dangerous had she been forced to clear one for herself.

She reached the door to Xavier's study and entered without knocking. Shutting the door behind her made her feel better, putting a physical barrier between herself and that man.

"Are you well, Rogue?" Xavier's smooth voice asked.

She nodded and took a seat. "Kitty said ya wanted t'talk?"

Xavier gave her narrow eyed look for a second before responding. Rogue ignored him, used to the silent show of concern. She knew Xavier would not press unless he felt it necessary. He was wise in that respect.

"Yes. After yesterday's events, we are going to have to take steps to keep something similar from happening again. While every mutant who comes here is taught mind exercises to keep themselves from being too easily invaded by telepaths, a threat from within the mind will take considerably more work to master."

Yes, Rogue thought. Something to concentrate on and keep my mind of off Remy.

Remy continued to stand, stunned, at the top of the stairs after his encounter with Rogue. The rest of the inhabitants of the mansion avoided him, leaving a wide berth between him and themselves. Not that he noticed. He was still trying to decipher what had happened.

He ran the scenario through his mind again. When he had first noticed her and she had taken his breath away. He'd never been too fond of the goth look before, but Rogue made it work for him. Today she had worn slightly baggy black pants with green stitching that hung at her softly swaying hips, a black shirt that stated "No Touchie" in large, green scribbled letters over a green mesh shirt and a black leather choker with metallic green studs. Green converse shoes finished the outfit, along with her usual black gloves. She pulled her hair partially back, allowing a couple white locks to frame her delicate face.

Absolutely beautiful. All that green brought out her eyes.

He'd been so delighted to see her after spending all night worrying about her. He smiled to show her he was relieved and happy at her quick recovery. His voice was light as he called out to her, his attention focused solely on her.

So why had she been so cold to him? He couldn't understand what he had done to deserve the ice she stared into him. One glare and he felt cold down to the toes in his boots. His heart still felt like it was covered in frost.

"He looks like he's had a run in with Rogue," the voice cut into his concentration.

"Devinitely. That deer caught in zhe headlights and just run over iz a trademark Rogue encounter look."

Remy cocked an eyebrow at Kurt and Evan. The two clowns stood analyzing him as if he were some lab specimen in a crazy experiment of theirs.

"Zo vhat do you think happened? A scathing dress down? A threat zo impossibly scary only Rogue vould be capable of it?"

"No, worse. He got 'the look'," Evan whispered, nodding knowingly.

Kurt gasped, taking a step back. "Nein!"

"Oh, yes. The other kids are STILL avoiding him."

"A'right, y'two, dat's 'nuff," Remy stated, rolling his eyes.

Kurt and Evan grinned. "Sorry, we just call'em as we see'em," the dark skinned boy assured.

"I think he's going to be okay," Kurt added with a laugh.

"I don't know. The long term affects of Rogue's ice glare have yet to be studied," Evan returned as he and Kurt headed on past Remy and down the stairs.

The Cajun shook his head, chuckling to himself. Apparently a run in with Rogue was a regular, if shocking, event around here. And one with quite the reputation. Still, Remy couldn't help but think that there was something more to the encounter that he had missed.

He headed down the stairs himself, following Evan and Kurt's lead to the dining room and breakfast. He continued to mull over his encounter with Rogue. He couldn't help himself from trying to figure out why the Southern Belle could possibly mad at him. As he picked from the breakfast bar and poured himself a cup of coffee he went back over his time with Rogue since they had made their truce at the mall. Everything had gone fine on their way to the Danger Room, and they had made a beautiful team during all the simulations Logan had thrown at them. Then she had suddenly gone down on that last one, without any good reason why that Remy could see. Their meeting at the stair had been the first he'd seen her since.

"Sometimes, the femmes, dey just don' make sense," Remy decided as he grabbed the bottle of Tabasco sauce and looked around for a place to sit. Still, he couldn't really get all the worry to go away.

The place was already starting to get packed, and the noise level was a little hectic. Ororo, Logan and Hank had stationed themselves about the room at seemingly random points. Remy could see the strategical planning in their chosen spots. The three of them could easily survey the mutants and keep any uprisings from starting. Remy knew how easily a food fight could start in a group this big, and with the addition of mutant powers, it would end up one interesting food fight.

Fortunately for Remy, he quickly caught Kitty, Kurt, Evan and even the red headed Jean Grey waving him over to their table. They sat further down along the middle table of the three long tables that had been set up in the large room, and Remy found himself squeezing past mutant teens packed onto benches as they socialized and shared the morning meal.

"See, ve told you he came through ze ordeal mostly intact," Kurt smugly told the two girls as Remy took his seat.

"Don' tell me de two o'you 're still goin' on' bout dat," Remy groaned.

"We're just concerned, man, that's all," Evan assured, cutting a huge bite of pancakes.

Kitty giggled and Jean rolled her eyes. "Ignore them," the telepath told Remy.

"Yeah, they're just a couple of jokers," Kitty added.

"Hey, ve take our comedy seriously," Kurt demanded.

"It's not easy being funny," Evan backed up his fuzzy partner in crime.

"Is it always dis packed?" Remy asked quickly in order to change the subject as he added a generous portion of hot sauce to his breakfast.

"It will be now that everyone has to get up at the same time," Jean answered, between dainty bites of scrambled eggs.

"Just remember that if you get up like fifteen minutes before everyone else, you can get here in time to get first pick at the food and the seats," Kitty assured as she buttered half of a bagel.

"I'll remember dat. T'anks petit," Remy winked at the brunette.

She blushed despite herself and tried to hide it behind a bite of bagel. But Kurt and Evan still noticed and started to tease her about it. Jean ignored the three and placed her blue eyed gaze on the Cajun.

"So, Rogue seems to be her usual self this morning," she stated.

"Dat's what I'm tol'," Remy replied glancing at the two hooligans.

Jean smiled, amused. "Rogue never was a morning person. You're only the first who has to learn the lesson."

Remy turned around to look at the new mutants gathered in the dining area. He had little idea who was a recent comer and who had been here longer. Only what little information had been gathered on the place before he had been assigned here.

"I'm still not sure zome of the younger ones vill survive if zey cross her path," Kurt said, jokingly serious.

"Oh stop it," Kitty glared at Kurt, though hers was no match for Rogue's. "She's not that bad. She just takes some getting used to."

"We all do," Jean reminded with a poignant look in the fuzzy young man's direction.

"Point taken," Kurt surrendered, focusing more intently on the huge breakfast he had served up for himself.

"You know we all like Rogue," Evan added, looking a little repentant. "We just like giving her a hard time."

"And it's just safer to do it when she's not around to hear it?" Jean asked, an amused look on her face.

"Exactly," the boys answered together.

Remy knew the exact moment the topic of their conversation entered the room. He took a moment to turn and watch her enter the room, the very last of all the students at the school and pick over what was left of the breakfast bar. He determined not to watch her for too long and forced his attention back on his own breakfast.

He ate mechanically as he analyzed her in his mind. She actually looked more tired than when he'd seen her twenty minutes ago. What had she been doing to drain her? Another question that he'd never be able to answer himself. Why did he have to fall for a woman with so many secrets?

The jingle of silverware hitting the table awoke Remy from his thoughts and he looked up to see Rogue sitting down next to Kitty. She slid herself onto the bench as she set her plate down, rubbing her forehead somewhat wearily and tucking one of the stray locks of white hair behind an ear.

"There's no more coffee," she growled the statement and Remy wondered if it was more or a warning.

"Here, y'can have de rest of mine. Still half full an' lukewarm."

Rogue looked at him as he held the white mug toward her with his most charming smile. He almost gave a sigh of relief when she took it from him, taste tested it, then took a huge gulp. Seemed she liked it same as him, with a few splashes of hot sauce.

"Ya also have muh Tabasco, Swamp Rat," Rogue informed stonily.

At least she was talking to him.

"My deepest apologies, chére," he repented as he reached to hand that to her as well.

The bottle was already off the table before he got a grip on it, floating through the air towards Rogue, who snatched it up and poured it over her breakfast as liberally as Remy had used it on his. Not without a civil thank you nod to Jean, who returned a smile that said she was happy to help.

Remy was impressed by a girl who could eat the spicy sauce as easily as himself and felt his heart falling even deeper in love with the girl. He wouldn't have thought that was actually possible had he not just experienced it himself. He still wasn't sure how Rogue had so effectively wrapped him around that finger of hers, but he wasn't about to complain.

"You better like hurry, Rogue, we gotta leave for school in like five minutes," Kitty reminded her roommate as she pushed her own finished plate away.

"Ah'm working on it," Rogue sighed, shoving what food she'd been able to scrape together from the ravaged bar into her mouth and washing it down with the last of Remy's coffee.

"Better start loading up, kids," Logan's voice boomed across the room, cutting through the noise of dozens of voices talking at once with little effort.

Benches scraped, plates and cups and silverware were gathered and a crowd gathered at the door to the kitchen, each person trying to get through to drop off their dinner ware first in order to get to the vehicles faster and get the best seats. Remy raised an eyebrow at the mass of teens all scrambling at once, not sure he wanted to get caught up at in that. He turned the look, questioningly to the other five members of the group, who continued to sit idly, chatting back and forth.

"Don' worry, Remy. Ya don't have ta faught ya way through that," Rogue assured as she neatly placed mug and silverware on her now empty plate.

"Yeah, we totally have our own ride," Kitty chimed, glancing at Jean.

"An' I'm invited t'join ya'll? Dat's sweet. I'm touched," Remy turned the charm up with the help of a toothy grin.

"Ya got somethin' in ya teeth, Swamp Rat," Rogue dead panned.

"Yo wanna lick it out fo' me?" the look in his eyes was of devilish amusement.

Kurt and Evan held their breaths, waiting to see how Rogue would react. Kitty looked a bit pale at the statement. Even Jean watched the two, her gaze passing back and forth between the two warily.

"Not even if it would save muh lahfe," Rogue assured calmly.

"Chére, vous m'avez blessé, " Remy placed his hand over his heart, hurt creeping across his face.

"Too bad it's not a physical wound," the retort came without hesitation.

"I can' believe yo'd really wan' t'hurt moi," Remy insisted, trying to make his expression as doleful as possible.

"Good, then it'll be all the more su'prisin' when Ah do."

With a quick triumphant smile, Rogue rose and left the table, taking her stacked plate with her. Four pairs of eyes watched her walk off in awe. One pair of red on black eyes watched her with genuinely felt appreciation.


	14. Must be strangely exciting to watch the ...

Title: _The House of the Rising Sun_, Chapter 11

Author: Goddess Evie

Date: 09/02/04

Genre: Romance (Remy/Rogue, Scott/Jean, Lance/Kitty), Action, Drama, Angst, AU, heck, it's got it all…just not all in one chapter.

Rating: G, and I really don't think this'll get above PG.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own X-Men of any incarnation. I am but a poor, fanatical, poor, college graduate who much enjoys a show so that she writes extensive (and hopefully intriguing, enjoyable, and highly popular) fanfiction to feed her insatiable hunger for anything X-Men and is poor, if I haven't mentioned that already. Also, the song lyric I used as the title doesn't belong to me either. I'm quoting the song "Uninvited" by Alanis Morisette. An absolutely delightful song. But, sadly, I own nothing but the plot so don't sue me cause I need all my money for my mission!

Summary: Rogue and Scott both have run-ins with people they'd rather avoid.

Author's notes: I wanted to have Rogue interact with mutants other than Remy, although he's there as well. I also thought up the idea for Kitty's experiment and wanted to see what I could do with it. It's really quite lame compared to what I wanted, but it gets the general idea across and is still kind of fun. Also, I realized that we hadn't seen Scott in quite some time as well, so I figured a scene with him was a good idea. I wasn't sure what to do at first, but then I figured he needed some conflict in his life, and his new "enemy" will come in handy for what I have planned for later chapters. It's too bad I had to make him a Duncan clone, but that stereotype works so well for an anti-Scott character that I decided to just go with it. The last thing I have to say is be proud of me for updating twice in one week. It doesn't happen often and I'm not sure it'll ever happen again. Now go read!

Review Responses:

Ishandahalf-A little bit more Rogue and Remy mushie. Hope it's enough to tide you over! I really want to be writing in more, so I stick some in wherever I can. I promise more will come as the story progresses, I'm just not quite to that point, yet. It's coming! I promise! Because, look I updated TWICE this week. hopes that was a good enough distraction

Jen1703-I'm very sorry you don't like Remy and Rogue. They really are the best two things about the entire X-Men universe, as you can tell by the way my fic tends to center around them. But fear not. I have included some other mutants in this chapter, including Scott and his two pals Nathan and Brad. I can't let myself forget about them for I have great plans for them in the future of this fic. Yes, big plans. Anyways, you won't be able to see them unless you read the fic, so I shut my mouth now.

Chapter 11: _Must be strangely exciting to watch the stoic squirm._

Kitty walked up to the door to the cafeteria, brown bag lunch in hand, and scanned the room for a recognizable face. Fortunately, both Jean's bright red hair and Rogue's white striped auburn locks were easily spotted in a table right in the middle of the room. Smiling in relief, Kitty headed their direction, waving at them as she approached.

Jean spotted her, or maybe sensed her, and waved back. Rogue looked to see who the telepath was waving at, and Kitty noticed Amara and Jubilee also at the table. Looked like an all girl group this semester. None of the boys had arrived, yet, and this close to the bell, Kitty had a feeling that she would be the last one to gather for lunch.

The four girls all greeted Kitty as she took a seat between Jean and Rogue and began to unpack her lunch. Glancing around as she pulled out a sandwich, bag of carrot sticks and a can of lemonade, Kitty noticed that Rogue was looking more sullen than usual and was glaring at the three other girls. Jean, Amara and Jubilee all looked a little bit smug, Jean keeping an interested eye on Rogue.

"Okay, like what's going on?" Kitty asked immediately, not sure she wanted to get into the middle.

"We were discussing Remy," Jean said before Rogue had a chance to say anything.

"Not just Remy. Remy and Rogue," Jubilee cooed."

There's nothin' t'discuss," Rogue assured, eyes narrowed at the Asian American.

"Are you kidding? The way he looks at you. The way he's always around you. And you should have seen how concerned he was about you last night," Kitty immediately jumped into the side against Rogue.

"Not ya too, Kitty!" Rogue groaned, burying her face in her hands.

"The only reason you're fighting it so hard is because you know it's true," Jean pressed in a sing song voice.

Rogue spread her fingers and glared at Jean through them.

"I don't know," came Amara's shy voice. "I think he's really cute and charming and all, but those eyes of his are…creepy. Scary almost. I don't like looking at them."

"They'll just take a little bit of time getting used to," Jean went immediately into the "We must accept everybody" speech. "Just like Kurt or Dr. McCoy."

Amara shrugged and looked at the half eaten sandwich she held. "I know, but they're still eerie."

"They're beautiful," Rogue said, her eyes glued on Amara.

The dark skinned princess looked back at the Southerner, but could hold her gaze only for a moment before glancing back down again. Kitty, Jean and Jubilee all looked at Rogue in amazement.

"Are you serious?" Jubilee asked, aghast.

"What's wrong with his eyes?" Rogue asked defensively.

"They're so blank, unreadable," Jean jumped in with an answer. "I'm not saying I don't like them. They're very unique eyes indeed, but even without reading a person's mind I can usually tell what they're feeling by the look in their eyes. But his are so unreadable." She didn't mention that she couldn't sense anything from the Cajun at all, something which unnerved her to no end.

Rogue shook her head. "His eyes tell ev'rythin'. Sometahmes they're th'only way Ah know when he's tellin' the truth or jus' kiddin' me."

Kitty leaned her cheek against a fisted hand and smiled at Rogue. "Prove it," she challenged.

"What?" Rogue's head snapped around to look at her roommate, green eyes wide.

Kitty gestured to the door of the cafeteria with a nod of her head. "He's like right over there."

"Ah can't tell ya what he's thinkin' from all the way ovah there. Ah have t'see his eyes, ya know?" Rogue's reply was sarcastic.

"Like d'uh," Kitty's remark was just as sarcastic. "Wait until he gets over here."

"How?" the question came not from Rogue, but Jean.

"Well, Rogue can like send the information of what she sees in Remy's eyes to Jean and Jean can send what Rogue tells her to the rest of us," Kitty explained.

"Jean nevah agreed t'that," Rogue protested, a glimmer of hope on her side.

"Oh, but I do," Jean betrayed with a grin and a twinkle in her blue eyes. "I think Kitty's experiment is very interesting."

Rogue looked around at her four companions, knowing she was being ganged up on. Kitty and Jean both wore smug greens, excitement in their eyes for this idea Kitty had hatched. Jubilee was so eager she looked like she might start squealing and clapping for the plan at any moment. Even Amara found more interest in this crazy experiment than her own meal. Rogue groaned.

"That totally sounded like you just gave in," Kitty poked Rogue in the arm.

"That's cause ya gave muh no choice," Rogue told her pointedly.

"Gave yo no choice t'what?" Remy's smooth Cajun accent asked from behind her.

Rogue looked over her shoulder at the man standing behind her, scowling. "Why, t'sit next t'you, Swamp Rat," she lied, gesturing to the only empty chair left between herself and Jubilee.

Remy pulled it out and settled into it in one fluid motion, his gaze and smile remaining focused on her. His hand rested on the back of her chair, and Rogue kept a careful eye on it. It wouldn't do to have him trying to put it around her.

"Chère, yo woun' me," his tone of voice sounded hurt, but he was still smiling, his red eyes dancing with mirth.

_He's obviously just playin' around at this point,_ Rogue thought at Jean.

Outwardly, she shrugged, keeping her expression uncaring. "Ah'm jus' bein' honest," she assured.

He leaned back in the chair, getting comfortable, the hand continuing to rest on Rogue's seat back. With the other he pulled an apple seemingly out of nowhere and began to munch on it.

"So, d'I get dis entire table of belle femmes t'myself?" he asked looking around the table.

"It certainly looks like it, doesn't it?" Jean replied politely.

Remy nodded in her direction. "Dat's what un homme like t'hear," he assured with a wink.

"You always this charmin'?" Rogue asked sarcastically.

"You t'ink I'm charmin'?" Remy sounded awed and honored. "Why Rogue, I didn' realize yo hel' such high regar's fo Remy. M'flattered."

"Don' be," she assured. "Ah was jus' wonderin' if Ah'd have to put up with ya behaving lahke that all the tahme."

He leaned in closer to her, so she could smell his wonderfully spicy scent and almost forget what it was she had been badgering him about. That mouth of his had her a little captivated as it moved to speak his next words, but his eyes had her gaze trapped in them for the most part.

"Fo yo, Rogue, I be charmin' twenty four seven," he vowed.

He winked then, and pulled back, chewing on his apple again and releasing Rogue from the daze he had put her in. Damn that man for what he did to her!

"Please, Ah don't need no snake charmer following me around," she told him with a roll of her eyes.

_He was actually tryin' t'be sincere,there,_ she remembered to send Jean at the last minute.

"So, how do you like Bayville High so far?" Kitty jumped in, hoping to stall anymore bickering from the pair.

"S'alright. Plen'y o' belles vues to keep un homme occupied when t'ings get too dull," his words were nonchalant, but his wink said he was only joking. "An m'classes don' seem too hard, yet."

"Taking anything interesting?" Jean questioned.

Remy shrugged as he inspected his apple then looked at Jean over it. "Science, English, Math. De usual string o'classes any student has t'take."

Rogue opened her mouth to lay another steaming remark on the Cajun when something caught her eye. She glanced at the three people passing behind Jubilee and Amara, and continued to stare, seething with anger and unable to turn away. Beside her she could feel Remy tense as he caught what she was looking at so intensely. The other occupants of the table looked as well, watching with varying degrees of unease. The three objects of everyone's attention stared back.

No words were spoken between the two groups, although Rogue caught slight surprise from Pietro, Fred and Todd when they noticed Remy was part of the group. Lance must have warned them from when they had bumped into him in the store the day before. Both sides continued to stare, knowing this wasn't the place for a standoff, as much as Rogue wished to give them a piece of her mind.

Within a few moments they passed and were lost in the crowd of the cafeteria. It wasn't until they were out of sight that Rogue found she could breath easier, though not by much. She also discovered her hand resting on Remy's arm, and she could feel how taut the muscles were beneath his trademark trench coat. His fingers worked and Rogue knew he had ached to take them on as much as she had.

Looking up to his face she saw only a concerned expression, his beautiful eyes looking at her with nothing but offered care and comfort. In them she could see that he would have protected her no matter what, that she didn't have to worry as long as he was around. Rogue couldn't recall anyone ever promising her that before. Not with as much as conviction as Remy was doing now, and with only his eyes.

"Ah'm fahne," her words were soft but assuring. "Jus' leave it."

He nodded once, the severe look on his face finally softening. His muscles relaxed beneath her hand and she pulled away, an action she had to force finding she rather enjoyed the physical contact, even if layers of clothing kept them from truly touching.

Kitty and Jean also had concerned looks on their faces, and Amara and Jubilee looked somewhat scared. Under the table, Rogue patted Kitty's knee briefly to let her know she was alright and the girl sighed and put her peppy smile back on her face.

_Nothin' to worry about, Jean,_ Rogue then sent to the telepath, adding, _An' yes, Remy was genuinely concerned._

She was glad for that small distraction to take her thoughts off the brief encounter…the entire summer. Fodder for their "experiment", right?

"Don' worry," Rogue addressed the youngest members of the group. "Ya'll don' have nothin' to worry about from them."

"I've just never been that close to any of them," Jubilee admitted. "We hear about your run-ins with them all the time, sure…"

"But you don't get the full affect until you see them for yourself," Amara supplied where Jubilee had trouble.

"They're really not all that scary. I mean, we've like totally kicked their butts plenty of times," Kitty reminded.

"Exactly. They're more annoying than trouble," Jean pressed.

Remy chuckled. "Remy could take em'all on his own, no problem. An' he would, too, so none o'y'all would have t'break a nail."

That made the two younger girls smile and blush and laugh a bit. Rogue actually found herself being grateful for the Cajun's charm for once.

_He was serious there, even if he wanted it to come off as a jest_, she sent to Jean.

The bell rang signaling the end of the lunch period. Rogue was glad for it. She just wanted out of the same room as those three creeps. If she saw them again she wasn't sure if she'd be able to hold herself back a second time.

"Well, I'm off to Home Economics," Kitty said none too enthusiastically as she rose and gathered her trash. "Wish me luck."

Jean laughed, also rising. "Good luck," she intoned good naturedly.

"Don't burn the school down," Amara joined in.

"I'd prefer you did," Jubilee chimed, following the other three to dispose of the remains of her of her lunch.

"You guys!" Kitty wailed as the four headed away.

Rogue and Remy took more time getting themselves into motion. Rogue felt like the rest of her day had just been ruined. Even from such a short and uneventful run in, she felt emotionally drained. She wondered if Xavier would let her off the rest of the day… Nah, it wasn't worth it.

"What class you got next?" Remy asked her, still watching her intensely.

"What does it mattah t'you?" Rogue asked, hoping her bickering would take both their minds off the mishap.

"Cause a propah gentleman escorts a lady t'her destination," he told her, the smile sliding back into his mouth.

"Ah don't see any propah gentlemen 'round here," she replied with a raised eyebrow, looking at him with a side glance.

Remy stood and offered his hand as he made his reply. "Y'must be havin' trouble wit' yo eyesight, cause dere's one standin' right in front of yo."

Even as she wanted to brush it off, Rogue saw how tender the gesture was. Even now, after the three Brotherhood boys were gone he was still worried for her, wanting to stay near and make sure nothing else happened. It was really sweet of him, and Rogue decided this once to give in.

_I got that_, Jean's voice popped into her mind and it took all of Rogue's control not to react to it physically. She'd just have to get the pesky red head back later.

Rogue didn't accept Remy's hand, but she did tell him that her next class happened to be French III with Madame Bertrand as she rose on her own. She saw his eyes light up at that revelation and could guess what that meant before he spoke.

"How nice. Moi aussi," he purred, staying by her side as she headed out of the cafeteria.

He stayed there all the way to her locker, and then into French. The class was small, as most upper level language classes were. A few kids had already arrived before Remy and Rogue, and only about five more appeared after them. Rogue chose a seat near the back, and Remy took the seat next to hers.

She watched as he scanned the room, taking in every detail as well as noting the other students with those encompassing eyes of his. She really didn't understand the girls uneasiness about them. There were no eyes more beautiful, more expressive, more worth gazing into.

Ya startin' to sound lahke some love sick puppy. Or Kitty, she thought to herself scoldingly.

"Yo' seem t'be starin' pretty har' at dis pretty face," the smugness in Remy's words made her look away and shuffle her notebook and pens around on her desk.

She'd been caught. He wasn't going to let her live this down.

"Ah was not," she objected bluntly.

"Sho' yo were," he plied. "Can' blame yo."

"Shut up."

Remy chuckled deeply. "Love it when I'm right an' yo can't do anything about it."

"Ah said-"

"Remy be quiet. Almost time fo' de bell, anyway," he finished for her.

It rang on cue, which annoyed Rogue to no end.

* * *

"You know, Scottie ol' boy, I really don't see why you just don't ask that beautiful red head out," Brad commented as he stretched muscles cramped and sluggish from sitting in a movie theater for a couple of hours.

"Me neither. She's gorgeous and nice and perfect, from what you tell us about her, and you really dig her," Nathan jumped in right away, standing on the other side of the Mutant as they walked together back to campus.

Scott rolled his eyes, although that couldn't be seen behind his ruby glasses, and shook his head. "Well," he began, "let's start with the fact that I'd have to drive for a couple of hours just to pick her up for any kind of outing."

"It's not just an outing, it's a date," Nathan corrected him.

"You know? Dinner, a movie, a walk along the beach," Brad reminded as if Scott had no idea what 'date' meant.

"Except there are no beaches around here," Nathan reached around Scott in an attempt to smack Brad up the head. Brad easily dodged.

"It's a nothing. It's not going to happen. She's probably busy with school, and we have that coming up in a week as well. We're both just going to be too busy," Scott explained for what felt like-and probably was-the fiftieth time.

"Sorry, but that's not a good enough excuse, Scott. Any college student could come up with better," Brad told him seriously.

"Why are you guys so obsessed with me asking her out, anyways? Or is it that neither of you have any semblance of a life and thus need to butt into mine?" Scott felt smug for his dig at the two.

"No, Scott, it's not that. I certainly have plenty of women falling over me, and I let Brad take the leftovers," Nathan assured, grinning mischievously and receiving a nasty glare from Brad. "It's just that we care about you, and we want to see you happy."

"I'm touched," Scott deadpanned. "How did I ever deserve such wonderful friends?"

"You're just a lucky guy," Brad replied.

"Who needs to ask out a certain red head," Nathan didn't fail to add.

"I really wish you two would just drop it," Scott demanded.

"We will when you finally find the guts to take Jean out on a date," Brad's tone was just as serious as Scott's had been, and the look the poor X-Man was getting from the two told him they weren't giving up until he did get a date with his crush.

Scott's mouth opened, ready to give more reasons why he couldn't ask Jean out, when a familiar figure up ahead of them caught his eye and he frowned instead. Brad and Nathan looked to see what had stopped him and both groaned at the sight.

Andrew Simpson had made himself the bane of Scott's college existence from the first day. Not only was Andrew attractive, well liked and attending the college on a full ride scholarship to play football, but he was also arrogant, egocentric and a bully. Scott had thought he had left that behind in high school with Duncan, but apparently some people didn't grow up.

"Why don't we take a detour?" Nathan suggested, pointing around the corner.

"Because the dorms are right there and there's no need to make our trip any longer than it has to be," Scott reasoned, unwilling to yield for the hot headed jerk.

Brad and Nathan sighed. They had learned quickly that although Scott avoided any real confrontation as much as possible, he also didn't run and hide whenever trouble reared its ugly head. Even in the form of Andrew Simpson.

Standing up straight to his full height, Scott continued along towards the dorms that were only a block away, as well as Andrew and his two football buddies. Nathan and Brad watched him for a moment before jogging to catch up to their friend in case he needed their support. They didn't agree with Scott's stubbornness, but that didn't mean they wouldn't support him anyways.

"Summers!" Andrew had finally spotted Scott heading towards him, and the way the athlete called out to him showed he was pleased for a chance to torment him.

"Don't say a word, Andrew. I'm really not in the mood," Scott shot back before Andrew could think up some insult.

"Ah, I was just wondering if you had an extra pair of shades I could borrow. It is pretty bright out here," Andrew cooed mockingly.

Scott decided such a comment wasn't worth a reply. Andrew had found Scott's incessant need to wear the glasses a good target for his mean spirited jibing, despite Scott's explanation of highly sensitive eyes.

"Or maybe I'll just borrow the ones you're wearing," Andrew's hand shot toward Scott, trying to snatch them from his face.

Scott's reflexes were quicker, swaying expertly out of the way before Andrew could lay a finger on his precious sunglasses. His instincts and training also told him to grab the hand and the arm it was attached to and twist into a position that not only was uncomfortable, but would allow Scott to break it at any moment, should he decided. Logan's training was impeccable. But Scott was also a quick thinker, and he knew such an action would do more harm than good. He didn't need to get himself into a fight with the Neanderthal. He could save it for the off chance he'd have some kind of run in with some nasty mutants. Not likely, but Scott knew better to be safe than sorry.

Instead, Scott took a step back from Andrew in order to get himself out of the football player's reach. He knew all he needed was to keep a safe distance from Andrew and get past him so that he could make it back to the dorms.

"I've told you before. Don't touch my glasses," Scott reminded icily.

"Yeah, yeah, sensitive eyes," Andrew sneered. "You wear them even at night."

"It's not like I asked for them to be that way," Scott said, talking about things Andrew couldn't even begin to fathom.

"Andrew, why don't you just leave him alone and let's get going. I'm hungry," one of Andrews pals suggested.

Andrew looked at the guy, and Scott wondered if he would treat the guy like some brainless lackey. But instead he shrugged and agreed.

"Anh, you're right. I'm too hungry to be wasting energy on ol' four eyes," Andrew decided.

"Original. And all the way from the fourth grade," Scott muttered.

"See you later, Summers," Andrew called as he walked away with his team mates, the promise of encounters to come in his voice.

"Man, you have to be more careful around him. He could kick your ass," Nathan said when Andrew was far enough out of ear shot.

Scott rolled his eyes, but smiled. "He's just a show off."

"He's a football player. He's in really good shape," Brad reminded.

"I could take him." Scott said with assurance. "He's more talk than fight. He just needs to make himself feel better by picking on those he deems 'lesser beings'."

"Big talk for a guy who doesn't even have the guts to ask out the girl he likes," Nathan cajoled.

Scott groaned as he headed through the front doors of the dormitory. Would these two never give up?


	15. Lonely as I am, together we'll cry

Title: _The House of the Rising Sun_, Chapter 12

Author: Goddess Evie

Date: 09/06/04

Genre: Romance (Remy/Rogue, Scott/Jean, Lance/Kitty), Action, Drama, Angst, AU, heck, it's got it all…just not all in one chapter.

Rating: G, and I really don't think this'll get above PG. SOME LANGUAGE USE IN THIS CHAPTER (but only towards the end).

Disclaimer: I do NOT own X-Men of any incarnation. I am but a poor, fanatical, poor, college graduate who much enjoys a show so that she writes extensive (and hopefully intriguing, enjoyable, and highly popular) fanfiction to feed her insatiable hunger for anything X-Men and is poor, if I haven't mentioned that already. Also, the song lyric I used as the title doesn't belong to me either. I'm quoting a Red Hot Chili Peppers song, but I could not figure out what it was called. If anybody knows, would you please mention it in your review? Thanks! But, sadly, I own nothing but the plot so don't sue me cause I need all my money for my mission!

Summary: Rogue unloads, Remy ruminates, Kitty has a dilemma, and Tabitha tries to soothe Lance (very unsuccessfully, I might add).

Author's notes: Action wise, this is a very uneventful chapter. I needed it to be more emotional, than action oriented. I really needed to give Rogue a good release for the summer she went through. She's been home two or three days now and had, until this chapter, kept most of what happened inside. I didn't want it to be through one of the adults, however, because I don't think she'd open up to them so easily. Kitty was the perfect choice, in my mind, because although the girl often comes off (and is portrayed in fics this way because of it) as an air head, she's really quite intelligent, and even more importantly, caring and compassionate. (A good example is when she thinks up a way to allow McCoy have a short liberation from the mansion without having to use a holowatch in…that one…episode. Yeah) Also, I wanted to show Remy doing what he was actually sent to do, as well as take yet another chance to have him dream about Rogue. Also, Kitty broods over Lance. I don't happen to think that I write angst well at all, but I wanted to bring in the difficulty of Lance and Kitty's relationship that we see in the show, so voila. Also, a little look into how Lance is doing. I promise we will see more of what happens with Kitty and Lance as the story progresses. I have promised a delving into their romantic relationship, and since so far they had only had the one scene in the story, I figured it was time for more. Unfortunately for you Kitty/Lance fans, it isn't looking all that good for these two. Sorry! (Whew, those were some long author notes, if I do say so myself. I do believe I've set a new record in length for myself! )

Review Responses:

Eileen Blazer - My goodness! You've been a busy little reader! It's so nice to see one of my favorite authors reviewing a story of mine with good marks! Thank you so much. What's interesting about the Scott/Jean stuff (what little there is) is that I'm actually enjoying writing at least the Scott part of the story, if only because of his two friends. And as much as I would love this to be a purely Remy/Rogue fic (which it seems to be turning into) I did want it rounder than that, showing what some of the other cast members were going through. For instance, I have more plans for Carol Danvers. I actually happen to like her, because what happened to her was not fault and wouldn't you be hella mad if that happened to you? But if it makes you feel better, here's a Carol Danvers plushie for you to smack around!

Rogue4787 – Okay, here's a quick summary. Remy and Rogue meet in New Orleans and then again in New York. That's the most important part, at least. Heheh. Seriously, though, Rogue has spent a traumatic summer with Mystique and the Brotherhood. She meets Remy briefly (who helps her escape a Brotherhood attempt to recapture her) before returning to NY. Remy, on assignment, begins to head his way up to New York, but is intercepted (to his good fortune) by Ororo and others, who take him to the Institute. Rogue is reunited with Logan and the entire Institute, and finds the mutant who had saved her is also now a member of Xavier's School for the Gifted. She pushes him away at first, but they declare a truce and get along as well as Rogue and Remy ever have. Scott's at college, and the Brotherhood are forced by Tabitha and Wanda to shape up and get jobs when they return home. Did I leave anything important out? Oh yes, Rogue has absorbed Carol and is now living with her psyche bitching at her in her head. breathes deeply

Ishandahalf – I love when you call Remy a muffin. It's so cute! And the perfect metaphor. Don't ask me why. Somehow, it just works for me! I have a lot of fun writing those two interacting, because they are always bickering and trying to one up each other. Right now I'm letting Rogue win most of them, but eventually Remy will also start getting a few in, like at the end of the last chapter. And even though Brad and Nathan are as of yet minor characters, I still love writing them. Maybe because they're good at getting Scott to loosen up and not be so stiff and anal. Scott needs that. It must be awfully painful to have a stick up your $$ 24/7. Be free, Scott! Be free!

Jen1703 – Well, I'm glad I write Rogue and Remy well enough for you to enjoy a story about them, mainly. And though there is no Scott/Jean HR in this chapter, I do delve a little bit into Kitty and Lance. Isn't that good enough? Huh? Huh? No? Well, too bad because I'm writing this story and not you, so I control how it goes so NYAAH! offers a Scott plushie as a peace offering

Chapter 12: _Lonely as I am, together we'll cry_.

Six mutants walked, at varying paces, from the Danger Room to their respective bedrooms. No one said a word. They were too busy groaning and moaning from the long session that had strained muscles and taxed them to their limits. Even Kurt and Evan were too tired to make any comments about how Logan was a tyrant and wasn't torture illegal in the United States? And for once Jean wasn't smiling, too busy rubbing her eyes and trying to work down the headache that had built from long hours of actively using her telekinesis and telepathy,

The rest of the mansion was quiet, since everyone else had been in bed at least an hour ago. Lucky them that they didn't have to perform for Logan again and again until he was satisfied with their performance. And nothing less than perfection was good enough for the Wolverine.

"Night everyone," Jean murmured as males and females parted at the top of the stairs, heading in opposite directions to their respective dormitories.

Her only answer was groans, waves, and in one or two cases, silence. She moved ahead of Kitty and Rogue, needing to reach her own room to find the peace she needed in order to calm her overworked mind.

Rogue and Kitty headed into the room they shared, Kitty flipping on the light as she closed the door behind them. Both girls flopped onto their own beds and lay quietly for a while, letting their tense bodies relax. Kitty moved once to pull the elastic from her hair and let it free from it's usual pony tail. Rogue pushed off her tennis shoes, using only her feet.

"Ah just want t'go peacefully in muh sleep t'night," Rogue muttered prayerfully. "No more trainin' sessions lahke that. Ah think this one fahnally killed me."

"Now now, Rogue, you're not allowed to die," Kitty told her, lifting her head to look at her roommate. She would have smiled as well, had she the energy to do so.

Rogue sat up and leaned forward on her knees. "If Ah promise you could give th'eulogy, would ya let me?"

"A tempting offer, but sorry, can't allow it," Kitty replied, also sitting up and shaking her hair out.

Rogue gave out an exaggerated sigh and began to pull off sweat soaked clothes. She debated whether or not she had the energy for a shower as she did so, throwing the discarded garments into a pile by the door. Kitty followed suit, picking up on Rogue's example of leaving her soiled clothing by the door to be taken care of in the morning. Or maybe they'd just sleep through tomorrow and dispose of them the morning after that.

"Rogue," Kitty's voice sounded timid as she pulled out pajamas from her dresser and donned them.

Rogue was afraid to answer. She knew what the tone of Kitty's voice meant. She wanted to talk. And she wanted to ask something personal that she was afraid Rogue would be mad at her for asking. And Rogue had a pretty good idea what Kitty wanted to ask, too.

Don't answah. Just stay quiet. If ya don't say anythin', she can't ask her question, she thought to herself.

"What?"

Damn her for her weakness!

"I-" Kitty began and ended on the same word, trying to piece together just the right question. "What happened this summer? Where were you? We all missed you and were like so worried. And now you're back, with new powers and everything. And I can like so tell how depressed you are still, even if you are back. I…"

Rogue pulled on an oversized t-shirt as a night gown and then flopped down on her bed, pulling her covers up around herself and wishing she could hide in them instead of answering Kitty. But she had already opened her mouth and now she knew she couldn't stop. And besides, a very tiny part of her mind niggled, you _want_ to tell her.

"Ah was with Mystique and th'Brothahhood," she told meekly.

Kitty's eyes went wide and her mouth dropped open as she stared at Rogue. But the gothic girl didn't notice. With her covers piled high around her shoulders and her gaze focused on her uninteresting sheets instead of Kitty, she could avoid the betrayed look on the girl's face.

"What were you like…doing…with them?" Kitty took a few steps toward Rogue, unaware that she was advancing on her roommate.

"Bein' used," Rogue answered. "Ah didn't wanna go with them, Ah swear. But Mystique had plans fah me and when Mystique sets her sights on somethin', she usually gets it."

"Oh, Rogue. I'm so sorry," Kitty gushed suddenly, startling Rogue into actually looking at her when she sat down on the bed and flung her arms around Rogue.

What she saw there was not the betrayed and hurt look she was expecting, but true sympathy and pain for Rogue. Tears were already welling up in Kitty's eyes and Rogue watched them run down her face. The arms wrapped around her kept a tight hold, as if promising to never let her out of the fold again. After the initial shock, Rogue found herself leaning into the embrace and weeping and sniffling along with Kitty.

And along with the flood of tears came the barrage of words. From the moment Mystique had abducted her to her finally arriving home at the Institute, Rogue told Kitty all. Nothing was left unsaid, no details were glossed over. Rogue remembered why she had come to care for Kitty as she unveiled every woe from her summer of hell. The girl had a way of making Rogue feel comfortable and would listen, without judging, whenever Rogue needed to unload her heart. And after the summer she'd been through, she was long overdue for an unloading of her heart.

Kitty listened silently, sniffling and tearing through the entire story. During the most anguishing parts, when it was most hard for Rogue to speak and often she would choke up were when Kitty's arms would give her a good squeeze and remind Rogue that she was in safe company, far away from the bad company who had left her with such emotional trauma.

Finally, when Rogue had been quiet for a while, Kitty lifted her head and looked straight into Rogue's green eyes, wet and red from crying. "We never knew. None of us. We could never have like guessed what you were going through. I mean, we all had our theories and suspicions, and there'd be times when we'd like slip into conversations of where you might be. But every one of us were like so far from the truth. And I'm glad, because there were times when some nasty things were said. And when they were I like wanted to smack those people. And sometimes I did."

Rogue listened to everything Kitty had to say in awe. She knew she had been missed. Logan had told her so on their trip back and she'd been shown by the eager greeting she had received when her presence had finally been revealed. But still, it was nice to hear it again, and that Kitty had vehemently defended her in her absence.

The only reaction she could handle was to laugh. It was a long relieved, happy laugh. The kind of laugh Rogue didn't often have, locked up in her solitude and protective isolation. It felt so good, even after having just survived one of Logan's training sessions. Like having the sun shine again after a hurricane.

"Kitty, Ah missed ya so much," Rogue admitted after her laughter died down.

Kitty beamed, her smile reaching from ear to ear. And Rogue could tell that she was about to cry again. And if Kitty started crying, Rogue knew she'd begin again as well.

"Don't cry. Cause if ya do, Ah will too!" Rogue exclaimed, trying to lighten the mood.

Kitty laughed instead and wiped at her weepy eyes. "I'm sorry," she pouted. "I just can't help myself."

The girls sat in silence once again. One of Kitty's arms still hung loosely around Rogue, but she didn't mind. Kitty had become one person who Rogue didn't feel like she had to keep herself distanced from, physically or emotionally. She had become a sort of comfort to Rogue, even if Rogue didn't actually admit it half the time.

"So, what about Remy?" Kitty asked slyly, breaking the silence.

Rogue didn't answer at first. Remy had been the one thing she had left out from the entire story. And she wished that Kitty had not brought him up, if only because she herself wasn't sure about him. He annoyed her and elated her all at the same time. And every time she was near him, her heart beat faster and she wanted to do the things she hadn't let herself dream about since her powers had surfaced.

"Ah have nothin' t'say about him," she finally replied stonily.

"Oh, come on. There's definitely something going on between you two," Kitty pushed.

"Look at the tahme. Ah didn't realize it had gotten t'be so late," Rogue chimed, staring wide eyed at the clock that read midnight. Reaching past Kitty for it, she turned on her alarm, shuffled down deeper under the covers, turned away from her companion and closed her eyes.

She could still feel Kitty's weight on the bed next to her, and sensed the girl's gaze boring into her back, willing her to sit back up and tell Kitty the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth about herself and Remy. But this was one subject Rogue was determined to keep closed. The little demonstration at lunch that day had been bad enough. She didn't need Kitty getting the idea in her head that she could play match maker. At least, not where Rogue's romantic life, or complete lack of (by choice!), was concerned.

Finally, the girl rose from Rogue's bed, sighing lightly. Rogue listened to her footsteps pad across the room. The light flicked off and Kitty climbed into bed.

"Don't think I'm letting you get off the hook so easily," Kitty's voice sang out before wishing Rogue a good night and finally allowing her peace.

* * *

Remy sat on his bead, leaning back against his headboard, with laptop in his lap. He typed away at it, the screen illuminating his visage in the dark room. It was time for the nightly report to be sent to the Guild Father, but with the training session right after dinner, Remy hadn't been able to get to it until now. A little later than usual, but Remy knew he wouldn't be in trouble as long as it got written and sent.

He found he rather enjoyed typing up the reports on a nightly basis. It was almost like a journal in which he could reflect on his experiences from the day. Although, he couldn't do too much reflecting, since this was supposed to be mostly informational with only little speculation on Remy's part.

Tonight Remy's report dealt mostly with what he had seen in the Danger Room with the five other mutants. He had witnessed what Rogue, Kitty, Jean, Evan and Kurt could really do with their powers. He was surprised at the team work they showed, but even more surprised at how easily he had fit into the team, adjusting to their styles and feeling like he had worked with them for years.

He'd also found out where "Scott Summers" was and why he was missing from the group when Logan mentioned him. Something about training with a new teammate since "Cyke" had left. Remy had felt that to be the perfect opportunity to bring him up without being questioned about how he knew about the absent mutant. Jean had happily supplied the information about him being off at college, and although her face remained a calm mask, Remy had caught the slight sparkle in her eyes that hinted there was more between herself and Scott.

Remy also included a note on the group of Mutants that had attacked Rogue back in the bar in New Orleans. He had gotten a little bit more information about them from Jubilee and Amara after school, but they hadn't been able to tell him much. Just that they worked for a powerful Mutant named Magneto who had objectives opposing Xavier's. Remy wondered if Magneto was the same Mutant Xavier had mentioned in his invitational speech when Remy had first reached the institute. That would be one thing he'd have to find out and report on.

Wrapping up the report, Remy triple encrypted it, then sent it to the Guild Father. With a yawn he shut down and closed the lap top, stowing it in its hiding spot on the top shelf of his closet, way in the back behind the random junk he had piled up there. He wished he could have come up with better, but unfortunately there were no loose floorboards under which to hide it, and the dresser seemed like too obvious of a place.

Now he settled into bed, covers pulled up around his chest and hands clasped behind his bed. He stared up at the dark ceiling, not yet sleepy, despite the early morning and long bed. As a member of the Mutant Thieves' Guild in New Orleans, he was used to keeping a thief's hours, and it had really only been a few days since he had left that life.

And yet with everything that had gone on in the past few days, it felt like New Orleans was a distant memory. Living in New York with a faction of Mutants whose supposed goal was to keep peace between themselves and the humans who didn't even know about them was so radically different from his colorful life in Louisiana. And then of course there was Rogue.

She was definitely a different kind of girl. Certainly not the flirty, blushing type he had spent so many years dancing between down South. And certainly no Bella. Bella, although a deadly assassin, thought herself to be a proper lady, and when she wasn't out on a job, she could usually be found doing the things southern belles were known for: shopping, laughing, looking pretty, and flirting with Southern men.

When she had found herself to be betrothed to Remy in order to assure peace between one of the Thieves' Guild and the Assassins Guild, she did what any proper lady would have. She accepted it with grace, taking to her fiancé as if he had asked her to marry him herself. Remy himself hadn't been against the union. Belladonna was a gorgeous woman, certainly. And every bit the same kind of Southern Belle as the hundreds of other girls Remy had flirted with and teased. He hadn't thought he could be any happier.

Until he had met Rogue that one fateful day in the bar. And then really gotten to know her here in New York. She was unlike any girl Remy had met. His usual flirtations didn't work with her, and she called him on every bluff he threw her way. Where every previous woman had giggled and blushed at the universal compliments he had used on them, Rogue rolled her eyes and blew him off, challenging him to find something to say that he really meant.

Of course, he'd known she was special when she'd looked into his eyes and not flinched away from the beginning. Not even members of his own Guild, Mutant's themselves, did that, even with plenty of warning. Some even continued to call his eyes demonic, even when they had known him for years. Bella certainly had reacted badly to them, as much as she had tried to hide it. But Rogue had stared into them no problem, not even seeming to notice that they were colored differently than the rest of the human population.

As his thoughts lingered on her, Remy slipped deeper and deeper into sleep, until thoughts became dreams of the rogue who had stolen his heart.

* * *

Kitty could hear Rogue's breathing slow and deepen as she slipped into slumber. Although it was very late and Logan's training had been taxing, Kitty felt wide awake from Rogue's revelation. She knew Rogue would be okay, that wasn't her concern. Rather, it was the reason for Rogue's distress that caused Kitty's mind to run wild.

Namely, it was Lance that kept the girl awake. And Lance's actions towards Rogue during the summer they had been gone. She'd been wondering why she had never seen him all summer, but had never thought to connect his disappearance with Rogue's. And when she'd finally met up with him again by chance at the store, she'd been so elated she'd worn the hugest smile for the rest of the day.

But Rogue had told a different story of the young man, abusing her mentally and physically. That wasn't the Lance Kitty knew. Sure, they had fought against each other on opposing teams, traded insults with fellow Mutants and even Kitty herself during the times they were fighting. But in the off times, when Kitty would sneak away to meet him, or catch him around school or town with none of the others around, he was so sweet…

Kitty found a part of her was absolutely enraged at Lance. The next time she saw him she wanted to hit him, or better yet phase him halfway through a wall, preferably face first, and leave him there. The same part was enraged at herself for thinking that Lance was really a good guy in disguise and that although they had their differences now, everything would work out for them in the end. For deluding herself into thinking that Lance, although working for the likes of Magneto and Mystique wasn't really all that bad, even if everybody else refused to see it.

But Rogue wouldn't have lied, not about something like that. Kitty found herself suddenly disenchanted with the scrubby but cute mutant. No, worse, she found herself broken hearted. She couldn't understand why Lance would treat Rogue that way. But she knew that he had, and that was all that mattered, even if it did mean giving up on the one boy she had ever really liked.

It just wasn't fair.

Kitty realized she was crying again, this time for herself rather then Rogue. She was glad the other girl was asleep. She didn't want her to see more tears, especially not over somebody who had spent an entire summer making Rogue's life miserable. But Kitty couldn't help herself. She'd never had her heart broken before.

And she'd never felt so guilty for wanting to hold on to someone so tightly, despite the horrible, but true, things she had just heard about that someone.

* * *

It was late, but the Brotherhood House was still in full swing. Even with her door shut, Tabitha could hear the movie Todd and Fred had blaring downstairs in the living room battling with the Red Hot Chili Peppers blasting out from Lance's stereo just down the hall, as well as Pietro and Wanda arguing over something mundane in the kitchen loudly enough to be heard over the rest of the noise. Partly they were all just being too loud and partly the walls in the house were so thin that you could hear secrets being whispered over in the next room if you listened closely enough. And if the house were ever actually that quiet.

Mystique was off still gone, after having made a brief stop at the house before the boys had arrived. No one knew when she would be home, or really cared past what new assignments she might bring with her from the almighty Magneto. Not that Tabitha cared much about that, either. Although she lived with the Brothers, she didn't participate in any of their anti-Xavier activities. She was just here because she needed a place to stay until she became comfortable with the idea of becoming an X-Man. As long as she and Mystique avoided each other, they got along just fine.

With a sigh, Tabitha dropped the trashy romance novel on the bed next to her. It was impossible to do anything in noise like this, even read the steamiest parts of the formulaic book. Tabitha huffed and pushed herself up off her bed. She hated when she was forced to regulate, but it was a dirty job and she was usually the only one anyone listened to it when the job fell on her shoulders.

Her door slammed against the wall with a loud bang, though it did nothing for the air pollution blaring around her. First stop, Lance's room, since it was first on her way through the house, and because she knew he'd be the least likely to listen to her. If she caught him again on the way back up to her room, she had more of a chance of getting him to actually tone down the volume a few notches.

She yanked open his door without actually knocking, but the words she'd had ready to yell at him were gone as she saw him sitting on his bed, doubled over. His head hung between his knees, and his arms hung loosely around him. Tabitha knew what that meant. She should have known just by his choice of artists. Red Hot Chili Peppers was his comfort music.

He didn't notice her until she already had the door closed and was turning down the music at his stereo. His head shot up, and he glared at her dangerously, though Tabitha ignored it.

"What are you doing? Leave that alone. Get out!" he yelled at her, his mouth forming a snarl.

Tabitha thought perhaps she felt a little shaking of the house, but she couldn't be sure.

"Chill! I just want to know if you're okay," she shot back, her voice sounding offended.

"I'm fine," he growled. "Now get the hell out."

"You aren't fine," Tabitha replied knowingly, walking towards him and flopping down on the edge of his bed, keeping her blue eyed gaze on him. "You're feeling guilty."

He looked at her with a narrowed gaze as if she were Todd. She ignored the look, the look on her face conveying that she wasn't moving until she got an answer.

"Shut up. You don't anything about what I'm feeling," he finally conceded.

"Rogue was your friend on good days before you all hauled her away this summer. I'm not sure exactly what happened, but I know it couldn't have been good," Tabitha told him.

He turned away, at that point, and Tabitha took that as a sign that she was right. For once, though, she wasn't proud of that fact. There were few times she hated being right, and this was one of them.

"You should feel guilty. You should feel like absolute shit for what you all did to her," Tabitha continued. "She never did anything to deserve that kind of treatment from us."

"She went traitor," Lance cut in bitingly, still refusing to look at Tabitha.

"She got away from this hell hole is what she did," the spunky blonde disputed. "Just like you tried to do once, remember? You had no right to punish her because she succeeded where you failed."

Tabitha knew she had hit a sore spot when Lance turned to look at her again, lower jaw trembling with anger.

"You have no idea what happened. You weren't there," he yelled, uncurling from his ball as he did. "Stop acting like you're all high and mighty because you think you know. **And get the hell out of my room**!"

Tabitha rose and backed up away from the volatile young man, afraid that his anger would turn violent at any moment. She found herself backed against the door with his fierce admonition to leave.

"Fine. Okay. I was just trying to help. I'll leave," Tabitha's nonchalant reply came.

"Well, let me assure you that you _suck_ at helping-"

Lance's yelling continued, but Tabitha didn't hear anymore. She flung herself out of his room, slamming the door behind herself. For a moment she squeezed her eyes shut, willing the anger to succeed. But her temper already had the better of her, and in the heat of her anger she reopened Lance's door a crack and let a couple of her explosive balls loose.

_That would teach him to yell at her when she was trying to be kind for once in her life_, she thought to herself as she jogged down the stairs. She needed to get out of this house, at least for a little while. If not she was likely to bite someone's head off, literally. The cool night air felt good against her heated skin, and as she left the Brotherhood property, she was already releasing her heated temper with angry mutterings.


	16. And all I feel is black and white And I...

Title: _The House of the Rising Sun_, Chapter 13

Author: Goddess Evie

Date: 09/12/04

Genre: Romance (Remy/Rogue, Scott/Jean, Lance/Kitty), Action, Drama, Angst, AU, heck, it's got it all…just not all in one chapter.

Rating: G, and I really don't think this'll get above PG. SOME LANGUAGE USE IN THIS CHAPTER (but only towards the end).

Disclaimer: I do NOT own X-Men of any incarnation. I am but a poor, fanatical, poor, college graduate who much enjoys a show so that she writes extensive (and hopefully intriguing, enjoyable, and highly popular) fanfiction to feed her insatiable hunger for anything X-Men and is poor, if I haven't mentioned that already. Also, the song lyric I used as the title doesn't belong to me either. I'm quoting Sarah McLachlan's "Black and White" from her album "Surfacing". This is actually the second time I have used a quote from that song. But, sadly, I own nothing but the plot so don't sue me cause I need all my money for my mission!

Summary: Scott has another encounter with Andrew. Xavier confronts Carol directly. And Rogue and Remy mushie. YEAH!

Author's notes: Concerning the first scene with Scott, all I want to say is that there are bigger things going on there than Scott and Andrew's near-fight. Can you guess what it is? And we find out something about Xavier and Carol when he goes in to talk to her. Yes, expect more about this later on in the story. As I have warned before, I have big plans for Carol, yet. And then I thought up this scene between Rogue and Remy, because I really wanted to have a small scene to show that they both are feeling towards one another, not just Remy towards Rogue, which has been what I have mostly included. Unfortunately, she still pushes him away in the end. But I hope the Remy and Rogue mushie is up to par!

Review Responses:

Rogue4787 – Well, I'm glad that the summary helped, as vague as it was. And yes, I even feel bad for Kitty, and I'm the one who wrote the story and planned it out that way. I wanted her to feel torn about one of her best friends and the first guy she's ever loved. It won't stop here, I am going to continue it through out more, and I'm not sure what the final outcome will be. Next chapter we will have some more, I've already got it planned out, but past that what will happen to them is vague even to me. I also was glad that I fit Tabby in somewhere. I like her as a character, very interesting, and fun to write!

LoneWolf422 – Thank you for verifying that song title for me. I appreciate it. My friends and I tell each other they aren't allowed to die, all the time. It makes waiting to see who will actually die first kind of suspenseful, heheh. And yes, poor Kitty. She needs a hug.

Ishandahalf – You are updating at such a great pace that it has been an inspiration to me and voila, another update. So, now it's your turn. beams I'm glad I'm not the only who thinks Kitty and Rogue's relationship is more than Rogue tolerating Kitty and Kitty being an airhead. And I can actually picture Kitty smacking some of the people up side the head. It's quite fun, really. Teehee. It's too bad Kitty had to be slapped with reality herself, finding out about Lance and all. Then again, what kind of story would I have if I didn't include any conflict. Why, none at all, that's what. Oh, and if you liked the mush from last chapter, you'll love what I included in here. You can just eat it all up like soft, warm, fruitfilled muffin.

Eileen Blazer – You give that Carol Danvers what for. I don't make my fans like her just because I do. And I have to admit that mostly what I have planned with her isn't good stuff, if that makes you feel better. You know, I never thought about including Piotr and making a Kitty Lance Piotr triangle, but I might have to debate it, now. You know, I'm pretty sure everyone is going to hate me when I finally get to when Rogue finds out about Remy's true reason for being at the mansion. That's one scene I've had planned out in my head since the beginning of the story. I might have to find some extra protection when that chapter comes out. And I'm not helping myself warning everybody hides

Chapter 13: _And all I feel is black and white. And I'm wound up small and tight. And I don't know who I am._

Scott rather enjoyed how college semesters started later than those for high school. He knew that everyone back at the Institute had returned to Bayville High, slaving their way through class after class, coming home every afternoon with homework, and then of course there was all the training and Danger Room sessions. Those Scott certainly didn't miss.

Okay, so he did miss them, at least a little. He agreed with everyone else that Logan could be harsh, but he knew the sessions had their purpose. That was why Scott went to the gym every morning. He may not be on active X-Men duty, but that was no excuse for not staying in shape. He'd be back for holidays and random week-ends and what not, and he had a feeling Logan would test him, just to make sure he was keeping up with everyone else.

Scott was also ready for all his classes already. He had read at least the first couple of chapters of every text book he'd had to buy for his classes, if not more. The first two chapters of every book were definitely lined out neatly in notes and all the important parts highlighted. Scott knew the importance of being prepared and that was exactly what he was.

Brad and Nathan made fun of him for being such a nerd, but Scott didn't mind. He was used to being made fun of thanks to Evan, Kurt and plenty of others from the Institute. And he knew they really didn't mean it. They were just giving him a hard time because that's what friends did. He just politely reminded them that he'd have more time to play football or go to the movies or whatever he felt like doing when classes started the next week. That got them to quiet up, for a bit at least.

At the moment, Scott was on his way to meet his two friends for lunch. They always ate together, and then spent the afternoon goofing off. Brad and Nathan's idea, or else, according to them, Scott would never have any fun. Scott shook his head and smiled at the two young men who had so quickly become his friends. He hated to admit that they were probably true, so he didn't and just laughed instead.

Scott was almost to the cafeteria, just past the campus bookstore when Andrew's voice calling out his name made him cringe internally. He would have just kept walking if Andrew himself hadn't stepped into his path, smiling sinisterly and with a holier than thou look on his face. Scott suppressed a groan.

"You know, we never finished what we started the other day," Andrew noted, the wheels in his mind turning, no doubt as he tried to decide what torture to inflict upon Scott.

"Let's not," Scott requested, looking past Andrew where he could see Nathan and Brad waiting for him.

"But it'll be so much fun," Andrew assured, taking a step towards Scott.

Scott stepped back, putting up his hands defensively. "Don't."

He'd been having such a great day up to this point. He'd talked with his brother Alex earlier that morning, finished his notes for Chemistry, reached a new weight record for his chest presses. Why did Andrew have to step in and ruin it?

"Or what, you're gonna beat me up," Andrew mocked, laughing at the thought.

"If I really have to," Scott's tone was serious.

"Woah, big words from the little man," Andrew chuckled, catching the severity of Scott's words and sizing him up.

"Hey, Scott," Nathan called advancing on the two.

"You know, my friends are waiting for me. I really shouldn't keep them waiting," Scott excused, attempting to get by Andrew.

Andrew stopped him with a hand on his chest, lightly pushing him back. "This isn't finished until I say it is. And I'm not done with you."

Scott stared Andrew right in the eyes through his ruby sunglasses. Foot for foot he was every bit as tall as the football player, and although he was leaner than Andrew, Scott knew his training was more refined than just tackling somebody on the football field. He had been serious when he had told Brad and Nathan that he could take Andrew after their last encounter, and he was serious about it now, despite Andrew's attempt to be intimidating.

"You know, I really wouldn't want you to get kicked off the football team and lose your scholarship," Scott gave his opponent one more chance to back down.

"I'd worry more about yourself than me," Andrew assured.

Scott's body tensed at the challenge, mind running over several different strategies to counter attack whatever Andrew threw at him. Not once was he tempted to use his real weapon against his out classed opponent. Too many risks to worry about with that one. Besides, Andrew wasn't worth an optic blast. Scott figured he'd barely break a sweat taking care of this chump.

The punch never came. Scott realized something else had caught Andrew's attention. Something behind Scott, and Andrew was watching whatever it was intently, a smile creeping across his face. Scott risked turning his head, still ready for a sneak attack in case it was a trick, just in time to see a gorgeous blonde walk by, smiling stupidly at Andrew. She paused for a moment right next to him, communicating to the star of the college football team with a simple wink and wave. Then she walked on.

Andrew's neck craned in order to keep watching the blonde strut away. Her hips swayed seductively in a pair of tight jeans, and when she looked over her shoulder right at Andrew with a flip of her hair, the outline of a very nice breast came into view. Scott feared Andrew would start drooling, and all over him, anytime.

The blonde headed into the book store and disappeared behind the first set of bookshelves and the spell was finally broken. At least partially. Andrew patted Scott on the shoulder as he began to walk away. "Another time," he promised, already halfway to the bookstore entrance. "Right now I have a more important meeting on my agenda."

The air rushed out of Scott's lungs in a relieved sigh. He really wished he knew why Andrew had it out for him. It was really so silly and immature.

"You got lucky," Nathan whistled, catching Scott's attention.

"Me, nothing. It was lucky for Andrew," Scott corrected, as he walked with Nathan towards the cafeteria. "That girl just saved his pride."

Nathan looked at Scott unsurely. "You are so sure of yourself. You just almost got pulverized!"

Scott shook his head. "How many times do I have to tell you? I can handle Andrew. Easily."

Nathan still looked unbelieving.

"You know, I might have to fight the guy in order to prove to you that I _can_ take him," Scott exclaimed.

Nathan just shrugged. "All I know is that Andrew is one lucky guy. That girl was hot and she made it pretty obvious that she wanted him."

"Anh, she was alright," Scott replied nonchalantly.

He glanced at Brad at just that moment, and noticed the third party member was leaning up against the wall with his eyes closed.

"Hey Brad, you okay?" Scott asked, concerned.

Brad opened first one eye, then the other, looking around as if checking to see that things were safe. "You're still alive? You mean Andrew didn't turn you into hamburger?"

Scott smacked his forehead with a palm. "Seriously, you two. Andrew is a pushover. All talk and no way to back it up."

"I still say that bombshell blonde saved your pretty face," Nathan returned skeptically.

"She was gorgeous, wasn't she?" Brad mused in agreement.

"Yeah, unless, of course, your name is Scott and you prefer red heads," Nathan commented, chuckling and looking at Scott sidelong.

Scott groaned. "Ah, man!"

* * *

Rogue sat in Professor Xavier's office with her eyes closed, trying to clear her mind, as he had instructed, and concentrate only on imagining a force field, a mental shield within her mind. One that separated her own identity from the dozens of psyches she acquired since the surfacing of her Mutant curse. But all the only image she was able to call up was of Remy. Those beautiful eyes, the gorgeous well-toned body, the hair she longed to run her fingers through. The silky Cajun voice he found every opportunity to speak to her with, whisper in her ear with, compliment and joke and tease her with.

It just wasn't fair. How was she supposed to concentrate on what was important with that pesky Swamp Rat always interfering? And the worst part was he wasn't even really here to interfere. Somehow he managed to invade her thoughts more than the various psyches who actually resided there. It was infuriating.

"Ah'm sorry, Professor, Ah jus' can't concentrate. Ah've had kinda a long day," Rogue excused, opening her eyes again for the fifth time in the last forty five minutes.

She really did feel bad. She knew this was important. Carol had already attacked her multiple times and Rogue could still feel her muffled presence behind the mind shield Xavier had placed in her brain. A mind shield he'd only had time to check this morning because Rogue had overslept after her late night, causing her to run late this morning.

Xavier pursed his lips and looked at Rogue with an expression that Rogue knew meant he was making a decision. She sat under that gaze, waiting for him to tell her what that decision was. She hoped he was disappointed with her. She really was trying her best to do what Xavier wanted of her.

"Perhaps we should try something else, instead," Xavier suggested.

Rogue nodded.

"Tell me about what happened. How you attained this new, powerful psyche, and had the powers permanently imprinted in your genetic code," the Professor requested.

Rogue flinched, visibly. Even though she'd already given Logan the short version, and weeped out the long version to Kitty the night before, she still feared telling the story to Xavier. Despite having a pretty strong suspicion that he already knew what she had told Logan. Still, sitting here in front of the man who had such lofty dreams and goals, who opened his house and great wealth to any Mutant willing to share his vision, Rogue couldn't help feeling that somehow she might still disappoint him.

But looking into Xavier's patient, assuring gaze gave Rogue a boost of confidence. The understanding smile he wore helped her to take a deep breath and tell her story. She kept it strictly to the event at the military air field, detailing her part in the plan to steal the plane. Slowly, painfully, though it didn't seem as hard to say as it had the night before, she revealed her story, her secret. Not many people knew the truth, yet, though talk of her new powers had spread throughout the student body.

Still, she knew what she said here in this office to Xavier was confidential, and that gave her strength. Her story would remain hers until the time she chose to share it. It was a comfort to Rogue, and she didn't get many of those.

When she finished speaking, Xavier remained silent. Rogue knew he was mulling over what she had told him. Processing the details and giving her traumatic experience deep thought. Although Rogue knew that it was only Xavier being thorough, and choosing his next words carefully, Rogue still couldn't help feeling intimidated in the daunting silence.

"You never said who it was you absorbed," Xavier finally spoke in hushed tones.

Rogue squeezed her eyes shut. She had hoped Xavier wouldn't pick up on that small detail. She should have known better. Xavier never missed anything.

"Her name was…is…Carol Danvers," Rogue replied meekly. "Her alias was Miss Marvel."

Rogue glanced at the Professor, who was once again silent. Was that a spark of recognition in his eyes? She wouldn't allow herself to think such thoughts. Xavier wasn't the kind of person you second guessed, because usually you guessed wrong.

"Carol, she talks to you?" Xavier inquired.

Rogue nodded again, keeping her gaze low so she didn't have to actually look at him.

"What does she usually say?"

"She tends ta insult muh. She's not very happy 'bout th'situation," Rogue answered truthfully.

"No, I suppose she wouldn't be," Xavier mused, taking a deep breath. "And the attacks? What are they like?"

"Like Carol's drivin' an eighteen wheeler through muh head," Rogue's comment was sarcastic.

"What do they usually entail?" Xavier continued, ignoring Rogue's impudent tone.

"Mostly she blasts muh thoughts with her own memories an' a lot of anger. Ah know it doesn't sound lahke much, but she really packs a wallop," Rogue assured.

"Yes, I did see the affects of one of the attacks," Xavier reminded. "Do you know why she attacks you so violently?"

"Because she hates me and wants revenge?" Rogue answered with a shrug. "That's muh best guess, but ya could always ask her yourself."

Xavier nodded. "Actually, I would like to do just that, if you would allow me to."

Rogue licked her lips and looked at Xavier for the first time in a few minutes. She trusted him, and knew he was sure in his telepathic powers, but she also didn't want to make Carol any angrier than she already was. Then again, what did she have to lose?

"Okay," she agreed. "Go ahead."

"Just relax," Xavier instructed, his voice soothing. "Close your eyes and lean back and just relax."

Xavier assumed the usual position, following his own advice and relaxing in his wheelchair, his eyes shutting and his fingers steepling together. He reached out with his mind, gently touching upon Rogue's in initial contact. Most people, non-telepaths, assumed that the process was much quicker, simply entering a persons mind. And sometimes that was what it took, when a forceful entry was needed. But here, Xavier knew a gradual entry was the safer bet, especially with a mind like Rogue's.

He'd been in it before, to quiet the voices that threatened to take over from being so numerous and loud. And only a couple of days before when the new psyche had so vehemently attacked Rogue, in a coupe to take control. That was one time when Xavier had needed to forcefully enter her mind in order to force the psyche back, but now he could be more gentle.

He sensed other psyches as he made his way towards the one that was kept behind psychic lock and key. Sabretooth "growled" at him, though it was more of a feeling than a sound, Kitty and Kurt and Jean all emitted warm emotions, as they always did, Mystique was an uneasy presence, oozing distrust, and Logan balanced her out with an overwhelming sense of protection. Other psyches came and went, giving off their own unique auras, but everyone was overlaid with Rogue's unique personality, first and foremost. Despite the young girl's fear of losing her own identity, Xavier never worried unless he entered her mind and felt that personality diminishing and out-balanced by the others. But the Professor knew Rogue was still in control.

Reaching the mental wall erected about this new psyche, Xavier stopped for a moment in order to read it. He reached out a telepathic tendril toward the shield and was rocked by the waves of anger and violence that seeped through the shielding. Certainly, Rogue was feeling and being affected by this. Xavier hoped he could lessen some of this.

He crossed the barrier with a thought, manipulating his own shielding with ease. He sensed the attack before it hit, and threw up a shield to block it. The attack dissipated harmlessly, but Xavier knew Ms. Danvers was around waiting to attack again.

Please, Carol, he called out with his psychic voice, I'm here to help.

You mean you're here to help her, Carol's voice called back, simmering with red hot emotion.

I want to help both of you, Charles replied, attempting to exude serenity in order to calm Ms. Danvers.

Have you forgotten me, Charles? Carol demanded angrily, lashing out again.

Of course not, Xavier assured, parlaying the second attack with as much ease as the first. I simply did not know it was you until just now.

But she's one of your precious students, Charles. You prefer her over one who rejected your offer, Carol was bitter, referring to their history.

You know that does not matter to me, Charles reminded gently, knowing he needed to regain the trust of this psyche.

And yet you help her, protect her, and lock me away, Carol threw back.

Because I could not let you hurt her, no matter what happened. You know you are being unreasonable, Xavier chided, keeping his town gentle.

No! I am the victim, here. She is dangerous and you let her run around free, with no consequence for her actions, Carol yelled, her reply as forceful as her two attacks had been.

She is a victim of her own powers, Carol. She is as much held prisoner by them as you are. You must look at it from her point of view. Listen to her. She wishes she hadn't done this to you, as much as you do. And you would know that if you would just give her a chance.

Carol's answer was another attack as she unleashed her full blown anger on Xavier like she had done before on Rogue. Although his shielding protected himself and Rogue, Xavier could feel the strain on them. He wished to say more, to continue the conversation, but he knew at this point it was useless. Carol was still refusing to see past her own self-pity, and until she had time to settle down and think clearly, Xavier knew he wasn't going to get through to her.

He withdrew himself, retracing his mental steps. Exiting was always easier than entering. He took only a moment to assure that Rogue's mind was stable and to make sure she suffered no ill effects from his journey through it before receding fully. He opened his eyes at the same time Rogue did, and saw that she was flinching a bit. Not from a headache, he could sense, but from the amount of emotion roiling from the other side of the barrier.

"I'm afraid I wasn't very helpful," Xavier sighed apologetically. "But we will keep trying."

Rogue nodded, not really focused on Xavier, but then how could she be when he had just re-ignited Carol's fiery hate.

"You should go get some food. Everyone else is already gathered and eating. I will see you in the morning," Xavier suggested in fatherly overtones.

Rogue merely nodded again and rose, leaving a very concerned Xavier pondering her plight.

* * *

Remy slipped out of his room, after the last of the hungry teenagers had stampeded downstairs to have dinner. He found that it was easier to wait until after everyone else had mobbed to the dining room before heading down there himself. And since no one seemed to mind that he moseyed in a little bit later than everyone else, he figured there was no harm in it. The only downfall was that everyone else got their pick of the food first, and you had to pick over what was left. But Remy always found enough and Jean, Kitty and the others always saved him a seat.

Remy secured his room to make sure it was locked then headed down the hall. He smiled when he saw Rogue heading down toward the girl's dorm…except, wasn't she supposed to be heading to dinner as well? He couldn't see her face when she turned into her room, but something told him that she wasn't feeling very well.

Remy passed the staircase that led to the main floor and headed down towards the room Rogue and Kitty shared. The promise of food forgotten, he crept silently towards the door through which Rogue had disappeared. He figured she would just push him away as she always did, but he would still try.

The door hadn't shut all the way when Rogue had pushed it closed. Remy could see Rogue sitting on the edge of her bed, through the crack, facing away from him, her head buried in her hands. That was definitely not the look of a well person. His heart overruling his head, Remy pushed the door open and then closed again behind himself. She didn't even realize he was there until he sat down on the bed at her.

Startled, she looked up at him with eyes red from strain. What kid of strain? He couldn't say, but the pain he saw in her face made his own fill even more with concern. She looked away after a moment, burying her face in her hands again.

"You should go eat," she mumbled.

"If yo'll come with me," he replied easily, hoping to cheer her up with an easy tone.

She shook her head. "M'not hungry."

"What's wrong?" he asked, gently placing his hand on the small of her back. He was glad when she didn't flinch away.

She shrugged at him, giving him a non-answer. "S'hard t'explain."

"C'mon, yo can tell Remy," he reassured her softly.

"Ah don't want t'tell anyone," she admitted.

Remy didn't know what to say to that. She had effectively shut him out with that line. He had to find a way back in.

"Yo' know yo' have dis Cajun worried," he told her truthfully.

"Ah'm sorry. Ah don't mean t'concern ya," she apologized, and the way her voice sounded, Remy could tell she was sincere.

"Yo don' have t'apologize, Rogue. Remy jus' wanna help," he slipped his arm around her waist now, and she leaned against him.

"That mean ya want me t'spill muh guts t'ya?" Rogue asked a little bitterly, hiding her face in his shoulder.

"No, yo' jus' tell Remy what he can do fo' yo'," he pressed a kiss into her hair and then rested his cheek against the spot.

She didn't say anything to that, but she did snuggle up to him completely, her arms wrapped around his torso, legs curled up on his lap. He wrapped his other arm around her and nuzzled his cheek against her hair a bit. She kept her face pressed into his shoulder and Remy wondered if she would cry. Usually when a woman cried around him he felt helpless and would joke and compliment and do anything to make them smile again. But somehow he felt comfortable with the idea of Rogue crying and was ready to just hold her until she stopped, however long that would be.

She didn't cry, though. She barely moved, though he could sense that she was still awake. Perhaps all she needed was a comforting presence and a warm embrace. Remy was more than willing to provide that for her. He had only imagined before this what holding her would be like. It was better than he could have ever hoped. She was warm and firm, and her soft curves fit against his own body like two halves of a jigsaw puzzle. He couldn't ever remember holding Bella and feeling like he did now with Rogue.

It didn't last long. Where one moment he was contently holding the Southern Belle, the next he found her pushing him away. She was mumbling at him, and she seemed upset again. She didn't understand about what. She had seemed perfectly happy to be in his arms while it had lasted, what had changed her mind?

It didn't matter. If she was pushing him away again, he would comply for the moment. For some reason he found it easier to let Rogue have her way then try to wheedle his way back into her embrace. Another difference in behavior he found himself making for Rogue. This love stuff was crazy.

"M'sorry," he told her genuinely as they stood in her doorway, "if I did anyt'ing wrong."

The door shut softly in his face.

Despite Xavier's efforts to ease any discomfort he may have left behind, Rogue still felt a headache burning, spurred by Carol banging away at her mental cage. She had never been this determined, even during her attacks. But Rogue could feel the hatred and anger and hunger for revenge seeping through like a flood breaking a damn. The woman's determination was so strong.

Rogue wasn't sure how she made it to her room, wasn't really aware of anything until she was startled by the weight of someone settling next to her. She looked up to see she was sitting on her bed in her own room, and that Remy had joined her. She hadn't even heard him come in, but she was somehow comforted by the expression of worry etched onto his face.

Rogue hung her head in her hands, part of her not wanting to look at him. She couldn't really understand what they were saying, only that he was speaking and she was responding. She certainly didn't miss the hand at her back, she was always aware of physical contact, but she was too tired to push him away. And for once she didn't want to push him away. She wanted to be held, in her pain, just like everybody, something she didn't let herself admit very often.

So, when his arm snaked around her waist, she let herself fall over and lean against him, burying her face into his strong shoulder. His spicy scent filled her nostrils, and she breathed it in welcomingly.

"Remy jus' wanna help," he cooed to her.

"That mean ya want me t'spill muh guts t'ya?" she bit back uncontrollably, thinking of Xavier and Logan and Kitty.

"No, yo' jus' tell Remy what he can do fo' yo'," his reply came comforting and soft.

It relieved her so much that she wrapped her body around him, snuggling into his sturdy frame. She'd never had anyone offer to help only how she wanted. Usually people wanted you to talk and tell them exactly what was bothering you, thinking that once they knew the problem they would hand you the perfect solution and then everything would be better. But Rogue knew there was no solution to her problem.

Remy's arms around her, however, made the problem seem less severe. They made the outside world melt away and all the extra noise dissipate. She felt almost as if she could easily forget all her problems is she only stayed in his embrace long enough. He gave off the warmest feeling, like a fire burned in that body of his.

Almost wasn't good enough, and Carol must have sensed her attack wasn't good enough if Rogue could still find comfort and happiness. Although the barrier kept her from speaking to Rogue anymore, she managed to slip one thought through, sending it on waves of her anger and hatred.

Go ahead and kill him like you killed me.

It was enough to shake Rogue from her illusion of safety. She began to untangle herself from Remy, pushing him away. Mumbling any excuse she could think of to get him to leave. She didn't care what she said, as long as he went away from her.

She ushered him all the way out the door, standing for one last moment to look at what she was giving up. He apologized to her, for whatever he thought he had done wrong. He didn't realize that he had done nothing wrong. That it was all her. That fate had cursed her forever for something she had done, perhaps in an earlier life, though she didn't really believe in that stuff.

The apology stung, because Rogue knew she didn't deserve it, and that there was no need it. And that truthfully she should be the one apologizing to him. But Carol's words still stung her heart and she gently closed the door.


	17. And I forgot to tell you I love you

Title: _The House of the Rising Sun_, Chapter 14

Author: Goddess Evie

Date: 10/06/04

Genre: Romance (Remy/Rogue, Scott/Jean, Lance/Kitty), Action, Drama, Angst, AU, heck, it's got it all…just not all in one chapter.

Rating: G, and I really don't think this'll get above PG. SOME LANGUAGE USE IN THIS CHAPTER (but only towards the end).

Disclaimer: I do NOT own X-Men of any incarnation. I am but a poor, fanatical, poor, college graduate who much enjoys a show so that she writes extensive (and hopefully intriguing, enjoyable, and highly popular) fanfiction to feed her insatiable hunger for anything X-Men and is poor, if I haven't mentioned that already. Also, the song lyric I used as the title doesn't belong to me either. I'm quoting Sarah McLachlan's "I Love You" from her album "Surfacing". This is actually the second time I have used a quote from that song. But, sadly, I own nothing but the plot so don't sue me cause I need all my money for my mission!

Summary: Mostly we just check in with the HR couples of the fic. Except for Jean, and she's actually got a scene with Duncan. Warning: this chapter DOES end with a cliff hangar.

Author's notes: First of all, I actually found that I really enjoyed writing Duncan. The scene I did with him and Jean really put him in a different light for myself, and I hope it does the same for you. Secondly I apologize for being a little off from Canon X-Men: Evo. I know that Scott, Duncan and Jean were all seniors and graduated at the same time. But for the sake of plans I have for my story, I needed Jean and Duncan to still be in high school, so they are. My Alternate Universe genre specification covers that. Secondly, I hope all you Kitty/Lance fans don't hate me. But what's the point of a good relationship/story if there's not conflict? And this chapter should make Rogue and Remy fans VERY happy. That's really all I want to say about that. I'll let you just read it and find out for yourself. Finally, I have to mention something that only partially pertains to the story. I TOOK A TRIP TO LOUISIANA! And I loved it. It was so awesome. I didn't want to come back. I even got into New Orleans for a little bit. It's just too bad I didn't get to really get into the city and keep my eyes open for a red and black eyed Cajun hottie. I also tried Hush Puppies (one of Evo Rogue's favorite foods) and they are so good. I tasted some Cajun food too, and loved it. Now I only wish I could go back le sigh

Chapter 14: _And I forgot to tell you I love you._

Lance sat in his jeep outside Bayville High School minutes before the end of day bell was to ring. He had hoped, since graduating the year before, that he'd never have to return to this place. However Mystique, who had made an appearance while everyone but himself had been out of the house, had other plans. Her orders were short, sharp and simple-pick the others up at the school so that they could be back promptly and receive more instructions. Lance hated being Mystique's lackey, and he hated not being given enough respect by either her or the "Great Magneto" to be told what was really going on.

The bright sunny day and clear blue sky went unnoticed by Lance, who tapped his fingers on the steering wheel in time to the song he was humming. It wasn't like there was anything better to do. His current scenery was dismal and if he let himself fall too deep into thought, then he started feeling guilty again. He'd had a hard enough time pulling himself from his slump in order to do Mystique's bidding, he didn't dare risk not being able to do it a second time.

The final school bell rang and after only a few moments teenagers began pouring out of the front entrance. Lance scanned the crowd for his teammates and hoped he didn't have to get out of the jeep in order to find them. Being here was bad enough, he didn't want to actually have to put out an effort and go inside.

The first person Lance spotted wasn't one of the Brotherhood. None of them could ever hope to look so good, despite Pietro's narcissism. Sky blue eyes, silky chocolate hair pulled back into a high ponytail. Today she was wearing flared blue jeans with a white shirt and a pink, cropped, button up cardigan, matching pink flip flops peeking out from the wide bottomed jeans. Her backpack was slung over one shoulder and she had some extra books and notebooks cradled in her arms.

Lance could feel the dreamy smile on his face as he watched Kitty. She hadn't noticed him, yet, but he knew it was only a matter of time before she did. She always did. For now he had a few moments to really appraise her. Since he'd been gone all summer, he hadn't had a chance to see her until the store a few days ago, and then he had been too busy to really look at her. But now he could watch her from a distance and appreciate the subtle changes that had taken place while he'd been gone.

He could tell her hair was longer, and that she had grown an inch or so. Kitty would never be tall, but the height did help to make her seem a little older. Her smile shined as it always did, and she had that far off look in her eyes that most people took for ditziness, but Lance knew it meant she was really deep in thought. She was also a little bit curvier, though still slender and petite. He remembered how small she felt in his arms, and how it only made him want to protect her from the rest of the humongous world.

She looked at him, finally, catching him staring at her. He wasn't ashamed, he did it all the time. Still, he blushed at being caught, even as he boldly held her gaze. It was their own little tradition. At first it had been the easiest way to communicate without offending their associates. Catch one another looking, make eye contact, exchange smiles, and then keep going. But it had turned into something more. Lance loved to be caught by her, but loved finding Kitty looking at him even more.

There was something different about this exchange, however. Lance noticed right away when Kitty didn't smile back. She held his gaze, and stopped in her tracks when she saw him, but Kitty didn't look all that happy to see him. Was something wrong? Was she needing to be a little bit more careful than usual? She had seemed okay in the store, what had happened since then?

She looked away again and Lance's face fell. That hadn't gone as planned. He watched as she scurried on, glancing at him, but not really looking. He continued to watch her, turning around in his seat and craning his neck. When she reached the sidewalk, she headed the opposite way from where he sat in his jeep. She raised her hand, calling out to someone ahead of her, and Lance scowled when she joined Rogue.

Of course, how could he have been so dumb? He sat straight again, pounding his steering wheel and cursing under his breath. Rogue had made it home, just like they had, and knowing those two shared a room, of course she would tell Kitty the horrible things he had done. If she had had any doubts about him before, she was certain about him now.

"Lance, you stopped by to give me a ride? How considerate! But I'll have to pass. This old heap is too slow and I have to get to work," Pietro's suddenly appearance and inane babbling worsened Lance's already darkening mood.

"We have orders from the top," Lance sneered before the boy could zip off again.

Pietro scowled to match Lance's. "What does father want with us, now?"

"Like they'd tell me."

"Tell what, yo?" Todd asked, joining the two along with Fred.

"We'll all find out together. Mystique'll be waiting for us," Lance said, forcing himself to be civil. "Where's Tabitha?"

The three shrugged. "We're not her keeper," Pietro remarked snidely.

"I'm right here," Tabitha's annoyed voice called out as she stepped around Fred.

"Get in," the order included all of them.

"I'll see you all, later," Pietro replied before he whizzed off.

Fred began to clamber in the back, and Todd called "shotgun" as he hopped into the passengers seat. Tabitha rolled her eyes as she began walking off.

"Hey, where are you going?" Lance yelled at her.

"I was in the mood for shopping," Tabitha called back.

"Get back here," Lance demanded, feeling the heat rising.

"Have fun boys. I, personally, am not feeling up to playing lackey for Mystique," Tabitha answered with a final wave.

Lance watched her, his jaw taught and teeth gritted. "Who the hell does she think she is? To hell with her."

He'd had enough from that…plenty of descriptive words flashed through Lance's mind…in the last two days. She only did what she wanted and never cared for the people around her. Next time he saw her, he'd knock her on her ass with one of his quakes. Hopefully, there would be an audience and everyone would laugh at her. She needed a good humiliation…or _something_…to put her in her place.

Lance turned the key and punched the gear shift into drive, speeding off with squealing tires. Todd grabbed onto the frame before he fell out and even Fred found handholds. The ground behind them trembled slightly.

It wasn't really Tabby herself that had Lance in a foul mood. No, she was only being as annoying as always. It was the fact that she was right, that annoyed Lance.

_She didn't deserve what Mystique put her through_.

Words the girl had spoken only moments after he and the rest had returned home that summer. Words that made Lance think, really think about what he'd been doing the entire time they'd been gone from Bayville. During the missions as well as the down time between them, Lance had not put a second thought to the way Mystique had treated Rogue, and how his behavior had grown to mimic their leader's. Not until after it was all done, and Tabitha had spoken her mind, did Lance realize the kind of person he had become.

_Doesn't make it any less wrong than before._

The guilt followed him everywhere, including in his dealings with Kitty. Now he wouldn't be able to think about the girl without picturing the dark look she had given him, the smile he had not received. The hurt in her eyes and the way she had avoided him. He had wondered about what he could do to make it up to Rogue. The Southerner was a hard enough shell to crack when you really wronged her. But now he had the double effort of making it up to Kitty and regaining her trust. Again.

After their first encounter it had been hard enough to prove himself to her. He'd done a lot of bridge burning this summer without realizing it. Half the time in his brooding he found himself tormented with "If Onlys", wishing he could have acted differently. Or that he could go back in time and do it all over again. They made the fact the he couldn't all the more hard to bear.

Gravel crunched as the jeep ground to a stop in front of the Brotherhood House. Lance found himself sinking back into depression and guilt. And on top of that, he still had to find out what Mystique wanted them all to do against the X-Men this time.

* * *

Jean was aware of the presence on the sideline as she ran drills with the rest of the soccer team, dribbling the ball-a term meaning something entirely different in soccer than in basketball-up and down the field in order to sharpen footwork. She smiled, despite herself, but managed to withhold a blush and not let herself look at him. She doubled her effort, attempting to make her footwork with the ball look smooth as it flew between her feet. She couldn't explain her need to show off for him, only compare it to how she always wanted to work her telekinetic and -pathic powers expertly for Scott in Danger Room sessions.

Duncan didn't stay for longer than a few moments. He had football practice to get back to and had only really been on a break. She wished he would stay and watch for just a little longer, with eyes only for her. Not only did she want to do better, but she wanted it for him. To impress him and show him that she was the best and worth those looks he sent her way.

She forgot about him, after that, for the rest of practice. After drills, coach divided them into two teams and had them play each other, sometimes asking one team or another to attempt a certain play. The team Jean was on won. It usually did. There was a reason she was the returning star of the soccer team.

After the mini game, it was time to run plays to refresh their mind after the long summer. First coach would show them each play on a small dry erase board. Next he would assign the positions and take them through it once slowly, to show them how it should be handled on field in relation to what he had shown them visually. Lastly he would set up different offenses or defenses with the dual purpose of letting them practice the moves and showing them in what cases the play would be best used.

Finally, coach called it a day, giving out compliments to varying members of the team. Jean beamed and blushed a little at the praise he threw her way, and nodded a thank you to him. She may not have done much practice in the way of soccer the last summer, but those Danger Room sessions came in handy in more than one way.

While the other girls headed to the locker rooms to change and head on home, Jean made her own detour to the football field where Duncan was still practicing with the rest of the team. Usually the practices ended roughly the same time, but the football team had their first big game against one of the other top rated teams in the state the next day, which meant they would practice a little longer. Jean took a seat on the bleachers situated around the field, taking a long draught from her water bottle and toweling off sweat with a small white hand towel.

Duncan was a remarkable sight on the football field. He ran, threw, passed, evaded tackles and even took them with more finesse and energy than anyone else on the field. He was a strong leader for the team and a good example in his position as quarter back and team captain. Jean knew he had his faults off the field-he had his arrogant and chauvinistic moments, sure-but when he was playing football, he did it with every fiber of his being.

Jean couldn't help but admire that. She could see the respect his team mates had for him and the pride in his coaches eyes. Once again, it reminded her of Scott. The young man tended to overwork himself and those who looked up to him as a leader, certainly, but those same people respected him and Xavier and the other teachers at the Institute showed confidence in the decisions he made as team leader. Those two were more alike than either would like to admit, and Jean still didn't understand why they never got along.

It was another half hour before football practice ended, complete with a pep talk from the coach to put school spirit in the heart of even the sourest student, but Jean was content to sit and watch through it all. Almost immediately, as the team disbanded, Duncan grabbed his stuff and headed for her. She smiled at him as she rose, falling instep with him to leave the field and head back to the school locker rooms. He grinned back at her, his eyes sparkling with left over adrenaline…and maybe a little something for her?

"You guys are gonna dominate at tomorrows game," she commented with assurance. "Every play looked tight."

"It's one thing to run drills against your own team mates, and another to run them against a real opponent," Duncan responded, then added cockily, "But those Mustangs don't have a chance tomorrow."

Jean laughed at Duncan's unabashed confidence. Some people would call it arrogance, but Jean knew that a good part of any game was attitude, and those players, and more importantly teams, with confidence, more often came out on top than those without.

"You are going to be there to cheer me on, aren't you?" Duncan asked, glancing at the red head next to him as he shifted his helmet from one hand to the next.

"I'll be showing my school spirit every minute of the game," Jean assured with a nod.

"I'll make sure to throw the winning touch down pass just for you, then," Duncan flirted just as confidently as he called orders on the field.

Jean didn't blush at the comment. Such an action didn't suit her. Instead, she smiled broadly and gave Duncan a playful shove. "You aren't going to throw every touch down pass for me?"

They paused outside their respective locker rooms as Duncan gave his reply. "I don't see why not. There isn't any other girl worth throwing them for."

They split paths at that point, Jean still wearing her huge grin. She usually left Duncan feeling a little bit higher than before, even if she thought she was already doing pretty well. He just had that affect on her. The only exception was when she had to separate him and Scott from tearing each other apart. Thankfully, with Scott away at college, she wouldn't have to worry about that this year. She'd be able to enjoy the company of each young man without worrying about their competitive spirits.

The locker room was completely empty, all the other girls already changed and gone. Jean almost missed their company. She enjoyed the conversation and playful rhetoric that went on in the locker room before and after practice. But today she was happy to just enjoy the silence and content feeling she had after Duncan's presence.

She changed quickly, more than happy to be getting out of her sweaty practice clothes and into her fresher school attire. She pulled a brush through her hair before pulling it back into a neat pony tail at the nape of her neck. Donning her jewelry, a necklace and ear ring set her parents had sent her last Christmas and a variety of rings, she gathered her stuff together and headed out of the locker.

She came out of the locker room at the same time as Duncan, which was no mistake on her part. He was chatting with a couple of the other guys, but he quickly cut it off and bid them goodbye when he spotted her. She always felt more special when he chose to walk with her over his other friends.

"Well, this must be fate," he joked charmingly.

"I'm sure fate played a big part in us walking out of the locker rooms at the same time," Jean rolled her eyes but smiled.

"Maybe, maybe not," Duncan shrugged back, "but I was definitely thinking fate could place us at senior prom together this year," he asked as he held the door for her.

Jean breezed through it, hiding the awe in her. It was so like Duncan to ask her to their senior prom before it was probably even planned. It wouldn't happen for months, at least until November or December, but he already knew he wanted her to be his date. And he was already asking.

"Well," she replied coyly as he rejoined her at her side. "I think fate could arrange that."

The smile Duncan gave her was bright, and Jean sensed a hint of relief. Had he actually thought that she would say no? His arm slipped around her as he moved closer to her, and she leaned into him a little. Despite being a proud, intelligent, beautiful independent woman, Jean still enjoyed the feeling of safety Duncan's arm around her, his close presence, gave her.

They chatted idly as he walked her to her car. He helped her load her bags into the backseat then insisted on opening her door for her. Jean laughed at him as she climbed in and stuck her keys in the ignition. He gave her a peck on the cheek and then on the lips when she turned to towards him.

"I'm so lucky I have you," he told her, holding her gaze steadily. "I'd be so lonely without you."

This time Jean couldn't help the blush that crept along her neck and cheeks. Duncan closed the door for her and waved at her as he backed away from the car. She waved back, watching him as she turned the key. A lot of the other students at the mansion didn't see what she saw in Duncan, but they never saw him like this.

Shaking her head at herself and how girlish she was acting, Jean shifted into gear and drove out of the school parking lot. She was going to be a little late getting home, and would probably have just enough time to eat something quick before drills in the Danger Room. But she didn't mind the slight rush if it meant spending those precious moments with Duncan.

* * *

As per habit, Remy waltzed out of his room after all the rest of the students had made a rush for the dining hall. He always listened until the noise level outside his room died down and faded away before he ventured into the hall to follow them. His door was securely locked behind him as he headed for the grand staircase. He knew Kitty, Kurt and Evan would be saving a seat for him.

For the second day in a row he glimpsed Rogue further down the hall. Today she was standing at the top of the steps, leaning against one of the huge posts. She seemed to be waiting for someone, possibly him? That didn't seem likely since she had avoided him since he had found her in tears a day ago. Still, he put on a smile as he approached her.

Her gaze directed elsewhere, she didn't see him coming at first, which gave him time to admire her curvy figure. Today she wore a black t-back tank top with a random punk band emblazoned on it under an off the shoulder, magenta wrap around shirt with a tie close. He was surprised at the shortness of her black skirt, never expecting her to be the kind to wear minis. But with the abundance of useless buckles and zippers and magenta thread and lace around the hem to match her shirt, it fit her style perfectly. She sported fishnet stockings over a lacy pair of stockings and her usual chunky black boots, and of course a pair of black gloves. For a girl who couldn't safely touch another human being, she sure knew how to dress to make a guy want to touch her despite the risk.

She turned and saw him when he was halfway down the hall, and stood up straight, watching him approach. So it was him she had been waiting for him. Was it too much to hope she wasn't just going to give him a piece of her mind? She seemed to do that quite often, and without Remy knowing what he was supposed to have done wrong. He pretended he hadn't been studying her so closely and knew she wouldn't buy it. She saw right through his every trick and scheme.

The way she seemed to fidget nervously as he came closer to her had Remy wondering. Rogue was never nervous. She was always sure of herself and nobody scared her or made her nervous. Not even Logan, who had most of the other students scared, or at least acting warily around him. Rogue was the only one who did what she wanted despite his threats and growls and showing of six inch claws.

So why would she be so nervous now? And around him? And since when had Remy not been able to read a woman like a children's book? Rogue was more like Shakespeare to him, beautifully crafted, but often confusing and hard to read as well.

He paused as he reached her, still wearing a broad grin. "Yo' goin' t'come eat with' de rest o'us, chère?"

"Actually, Ah had othah plans," she told him, her head bowed a bit. The angle made her green eyes look huge, and they shined softly as she gazed at him, making her seem shy.

"S'too bad. We really gonna miss yo," he told her, hoping to cajole her into joining him down to eat with the rest. After failing yesterday, he felt especially determined to succeed tonight.

"Well, mebbe they'll miss th'both of us," she told him, glancing between the floor and the feet.

His face didn't show it, but Remy was intrigued by Rogue's actions. What was she up to? She didn't seem mad. And she definitely wasn't showing the depth of depression she'd exhibited the evening before. He continued to sense the nervousness she emitted, but what she was nervous for he could not guess.

"Why would dey miss us when we can jus' go join dem?" Remy pushed a bit.

"Cause we ain't gonna join'em," Rogue said, pulling confidence from nowhere. "Come with me."

She grabbed his arm and pulled him along behind her. With her strength, he had no choice but to follow. He could hear the noise from the students talking and laughing as they ate when Rogue dragged him past the open doors. The sound faded behind him as they headed further down the hallway. Rogue was silent during the trip, but her grip on him was unrelenting. She wasn't about to let go.

But Remy wasn't fighting her. He followed her willingly, an amused and somewhat delirious smile on his lips. Whatever she had planned, he found himself looking forward to it. Even if she did just want to bite his head off in private instead of in front of an audience. He doubted it, though. She wasn't acting like she was angry.

A new stimulant caught his senses. He tipped his head up and sniffed at the air. A spicy aroma touched his nose. Scents of the south he missed so much. And the sound of good old Blues music wafted past his ears, bringing the smile on his face to a true grin. Reminded him so much of the home and family he missed.

Standing now next to Rogue in an open doorway leading to one of the rec rooms Remy was stunned by what he saw. She had obviously gone to great lengths to prepare what lay before him. A small round table was set up in a cleared area and set for two. Remy almost expected to see candles and a rose in a vase. A candle lit dinner for two. But Rogue hadn't even put a table cloth on the table.

Another slightly larger table stood off to the side and offered a full meal consisting of genuine southern cooking, including a Cajun dish as the main entrée. Just looking at it all, and smelling it, Remy suddenly felt content and comfortable. This was one of the things he had missed the most living in the North, the wonderful food of New Orleans and the south.

"Ah made everything muhself, from scratch. Nobody here knows Ah can cook. And a lotta the ingredients were hard t'find," Rogue spoke, sounding meek and unsure.

Remy looked at her with wide eyes. "You did dis all yo'self?"

She nodded at him. "Irene taught me when Ah lived with her. She may have been blahnd, but the woman knew how to cook. And she gladly passed the skill and plenty o'recipes on t'me."

"It smells delicious," Remy breathed, inhaling deeply to get the scent.

"Well, sit down and try some," Rogue urged, giving him a shove to get him moving.

Remy sat down in one of the seats at the table as Rogue took his plate and began to load it up. A course slaw, oysters Bienville, hush puppies, and a good thick gumbo. She set the plate in front of him before serving herself and taking her seat. He didn't dig in right away, but stared at her in disbelief.

"Try it," she urged him again, waiting for him to take the first bite.

"Why?" he asked simply, still in awe that she would do something so wonderful for him.

She looked down at her plate for awhile before answering. He could see that she was thinking about what she wanted to say. He waited patiently in the silence for her to speak, eyes not leaving her.

Finally she looked up at him, her green eyes meeting his.

"It's because of last nahgt. Because you were there when Ah needed ya, and ya didn't let muh push ya away. Because ya seemed to know exactly what Ah needed and didn't try to tell muh what would be good fo'muh," she told him, completely honest in her answer. "Ah'm sorry Ah pushed ya out so suddenly, but Ah did wan'ta thank ya."

Remy now found himself blushing. When had a girl ever done that to him? He couldn't think of a single time.

"Was concerned 'bout yo," he told her just as truthfully. Her hand was sitting on the table and he reached across and gently laid his own on top of it.

She didn't flinch, and she didn't remove her gaze from his. The moments they sat there like that were already some of the most precious to Remy. Anytime he could be close to her, he cherished. But the moment had to end sometime, and it did when Rogue reminded him that he should perhaps eat the food sitting in front of him.

"Or what's cold'll get warm and what's warm'll get cold."

He took back his hand and grabbed his fork. She seemed to be on the edge of his seat as he took his first bite. He chose to go straight for the gumbo. The look of sheer delight on his face and satisfied groan he gave were not exaggerated, though she seemed to think so. She was blushing, though, and smiling proudly.

"It really is good," he told her. "Summa da best I ever had."

"Ah whipped up a pecan pie fah dessert. And I can make jambalaya and ettouffe," she told him. "I'll have t'cook those fah ya anothah tahme."

He raised his eyebrow at her while he chewed on a bite of oysters, which were also amazing. A slow smile spread across his mouth. "You gonna cook fo' me again?"

She looked indignant, suddenly, and Remy laughed at her.

"That all depends on you," she told him. "You do somethin' that Ah think deserves another gourmet meal, and mebbe Ah'll cook it."

"Least there's hope," he commented with a wink.

They sat in a comfortable silence for a while after that, both of them munching on the food. Remy really was impressed by her ability. He hadn't tasted such fine Cajun cuisine since he had left behind Tante Mattie's kitchen. There was a woman who could cook anything Cajun, Creole or all around southern. He was happy he had found and fallen for another woman who could (and would, he hoped) fill his Cajun cravings. Bella absolutely refused to cook. She'd always told Remy they'd hire a chef to cook for them and eat out a lot.

Rogue was Remy's dream come true, except he could never have concocted one such as her on his own. And he'd never dreamed about actually settling down with a woman. Sure, he and Bella were betrothed to marry, but Remy had always had a hard time picturing what their life together would be like. With Rogue sitting right across from him, and her own hand cooked food filling his belly, he could easily imagine a lifetime spent with her.

"You ever cook fo' anyone else?" he asked her.

She shrugged. "Not really. Just Irene."

"Why didn' you ever let anyone else know yo' were s'talented?"

She nibbled on a hush puppy as she once again debated her answer. "Cause it had been somethin' special Ah'd shared with Irene. And once Ah was ripped from my home and taken to such a strange place, Ah wanted it t'remain special, and not become something Ah jus' did, somethin' common."

"M'glad yo shared it wit' me," he told her sincerely.

"Yo the first person Ah've wanted t'share it with," she replied truthfully.

"Yo secret's safe wit' me," he vowed.

"Thanks. Ah don't think Ah could handle Kurt always bugging me t'cook fah him," Rogue joked.

They both chuckled comfortably.

"Still, it is nahce t'eat something with a little flavor," she admitted.

He nodded in sympathy. "Ah wouldn' mind makin' dis a regular t'ing. I can cook too, ya know."

Rogue shook her head. "Don't push ya luck, swamp rat."

Remy shrugged. "Jus' a suggestion."

"Ah'll keep it in mind."

As soon as they had both finished with the meal, Rogue brought out he Pecan Pie she had promised and sliced it up. She served it plain, without the whipped cream that any one not a Southerner tended to put on it. It was perfect just as it was.

It was just as Remy was relishing the first bite that a voice sounded in his head. It was Xavier summoning them.

We have a situation at the front gates, if you would please meet me there.

Nothing else to say what exactly the situation was. Remy had a deck of cards in his back pocket. They were his only weapons.

Looking up at Rogue, he saw that she had received the same message. Remy sighed at having to leave his dessert behind. He hoped that whatever the situation was, it didn't last too long. He followed Rogue out the door and to the front door.


	18. And I thought that I found myself today ...

Title: _The House of the Rising Sun_, Chapter 15

Author: Goddess Evie

Date: 11/17/04

Genre: Romance (Remy/Rogue, Scott/Jean, Lance/Kitty), Action, Drama, Angst, AU, heck, it's got it all…just not all in one chapter.

Rating: G, and I really don't think this'll get above PG. SOME LANGUAGE USE IN THIS CHAPTER (but only towards the end).

Disclaimer: I do NOT own X-Men of any incarnation. I am but a poor, fanatical, poor, college graduate who much enjoys a show so that she writes extensive (and hopefully intriguing, enjoyable, and highly popular) fanfiction to feed her insatiable hunger for anything X-Men and is poor, if I haven't mentioned that already. Also, the song lyric I used as the title doesn't belong to me either. I'm quoting Smile Empty Soul's "Finding Myself" from "The Punisher" soundtrack. An awesome soundtrack for an awesome movie. Check both out, if you haven't yet. The Punisher is a Marvel creation, just like the X-Men. But, sadly, I own nothing but the plot so don't sue me cause I need all my money for my mission!

Summary: We finally find out what the heck is going on after Xavier calls everyone together. Let me tell you, it ain't pretty. At least, not at first. And then we catch up with Scott.

Author's notes: Okay, while I was thinking about writing the first part, I wasn't sure how I was going to have it all play out. But once I started actually writing, it just all came together, and I am very happy for that. But once I got the first part done, I wasn't sure where I wanted to go with it. But I knew I wanted a little bit more, because the chapter wasn't quite long enough for my tastes. And so we get Scott and Jean's telephone conversation. The funny thing here is, for as long as I've been an avid hater of both Scott and Jean, I've actually started to like Scott (still not Jean) the more I've written his character. Or at least I've started to like Evo Scott. I'm not sure I like comic book or Movie Scott any better, still. But anyways, I hope you all enjoy this chapter.

Review Responses: I forgot to do these last chapter, so I'm going to cover chapter 13 AND 14 reviews.

Ishandahalf-Sorry my chapters are not coming so quickly. But since your last story ended I have been in such a deep depression. SIGH Just kidding, heheh. This chapter just took me a while to get down, as you can read in the author's notes. But anyways, yes I'm really having fun with this whole Carol, Rogue, Xavier triangle. Just you wait. Oh yes, just you wait. And I'm so glad you enjoyed ALL of the Rogue/Remy mushie I included. Although, I'd rather have any color stars BUT pink. I despise that color. Still, if they are coming from you, I'll accept them GRATEFULLY! I seem to have surprised quite a few people with that Duncan bit, as well. Including myself. And I'm doing it again with Scott. But I guess those are the joys of being a writer. Discovering a character in a new light you previously disliked. Mwahah!

EileenBlazer-No, Remy didn't do anything wrong. You know that. And I know that. And even Rogue knows that. But Remy doesn't, poor guy. But you don't you like how I made it up to him? It was just so perfect. Too bad it had to be interrupted, huh? But my story would be so BORING if everything came out nicely and perfectly, heheh. I'm glad somebody noticed how I likened Rogue to Shakespeare. I personally found that analogy a stroke of genius, but that was just me. Heheh. I wanted to see if someone else thought so well. And what do you know…somebody did! Now, just have patience. Everything shall be revealed in time.

Tsugath- I'm glad you are enjoying my writing of Remy! beams with pride I'm glad you are liking all of my characterizations. Even characters you hate can be fun to write if you find the right angle. For the writer AND the readers. Keep reading to see how things pan out!

Me-Since you took the time tell me how awesome I am, I am also going to take the time to tell you how awesome you are. Because you reviewed! As anyone here at can tell you, a writer thrives on reviews. So, thank you! I understand and even like Duncan a little bit more for writing him the way I did. But don't think I'm straying TOO far from his Evo characterization. _evil grin_ I'm just trying to round out his character a bit. Seems to have worked out pretty well, huh?

EmeraldKatsEye-Another person who liked how I wrote Duncan. YEAH! Hee. I like Emma too much to stick her with Scott, myself. I don't understand how someone like her could WANT to have ANY kind of relationship with Scott, psychic or other. But hey, who knows what's going on in that mind of Emma Frost's? Not I, said the cat. Anyways, since I finally updated, read on!

Chapter 15: _And I thought that I found myself today. And I thought that I had control. All the change in my life just fell away. For a moment I didn't need you._

The others were already gathered when Remy and Rogue arrived, bringing up the tail end of the group out in the front yard in front of the main gates. Jean, Kitty, Kurt, Evan, and even Bobby who was now fighting with the regular team on a trial basis stood behind Ororo, Logan and Hank, with Xavier sitting calmly and unperturbed at the head. On the other side of the gate the Brotherhood stood, leering at their enemies. The big surprise was to see both Magneto and Mystique accompanying their lackeys.

"What's goin' on?" Rogue whispered to Kitty, keeping her eyes on the thugs in case any of them tried anything. She couldn't help being wary around them.

"Like, a lot of big talk. Magneto's making his demands, and the Professor is refusing them," Kitty replied earnestly, trying to keep an ear to the negotiations going on.

Every mutant stood on the ready. The X-Men knew that the wrought iron gate wouldn't hold back the Brotherhood should they decide to enter. And the Brotherhood knew how fiercely the X-Men would protect their home and their family.

Rogue listened to what Magneto and Xavier were saying the best she could, but she was too far back to really hear. She caught a few words here and there. Xavier sat too far up away from the group for his and Magneto's conversation to be audible. She wished she could hear what they were saying. Magneto never did anything without a purpose. He and Mystique both always had ulterior motives for their actions, even if they weren't always apparent.

With an ear piercing screech of metal, the gates bent away to gain unhindered access to the Mansion grounds, though not one moved a foot. Mystique, who stood only inches from the gate staring down each and every X-Man, went untouched by the twisted metal. A display of how in control of his powers Magneto was. The blue skinned woman hadn't even flinched.

Magneto's voice boomed across the yard, now, so that every mutant could hear his threat. "This is my last warning, Charles. I came in hopes of making peace with you and your students. But if you refuse to see things in the greater light, then you leave me no choice."

"Oh, I'm SO scared," Evan muttered. He was too busy sizing up Pietro to catch Logan's warning glare to stay silent.

Xavier's reply was not so clear. Rogue still could not hear him, but she could see by the way he sadly shook his head at Magneto that they would be forced to fight.

"I been waitin' fo' m'chance to rumble wit' dese guys again," Remy growled almost eagerly, shuffling the cards from his back pocket as Magneto gave the order for his Brotherhood to advance.

Hank bounded forward, as the X-Men's first defensive move, to grab Xavier and move him away to a safe distance. Just in time as his wheel chair lifted up into the air and smashed into the brick wall. Immediately, Logan and Ororo began to call out orders to parlay the attack, working in perfect sync with each other. It had been predetermined, with Scott gone, that Jean would take a shot at being the official leader of the group. But with Magneto in play where usually he would be absent, the two adults took command. From a safe distance, with Hank to keep him guard, Xavier was also doing what he could.

But Rogue didn't hear the commands. All she could think about was the summer she had spent in terror, and how she now suffered because of it. Without another thought in her head, she launched herself directly at Magneto as fast as her flight would take her, knowing the man had to be the cause behind all her recently accrued pain. Even Carol was in perfect harmony with her thoughts, cheering her on instead of casting waves of hate and insult at her.

With her new powers, Rogue felt more able. Never before would she have so recklessly taken on Magneto. But the man had experience to back him up, and a more complete control over his mutation. She was so focused on Magneto that the sound of metal wrenching as the iron gates were pulled from their hinges didn't register in Rogue's mind. It wasn't until they wrapped themselves around her body, effectively stopping her advance that she realized what was happening.

But Rogue had more than just flight. Her invincibility made the iron around her body feel more like a tight squeeze than a strangling hold. And with her enhanced strength, it seemed to her like all she had to do was flex a little and force her arms from her sides, and her iron bands fell from around her.

Rogue looked around again, spotting Magneto further away. He'd taken her small distraction as an opportunity to gain distance once again. The red hate filling her vision propelled her forward again, a fist aimed at the man's head. Perhaps she could knock it off. Magneto threw pieces of the iron gate, and the whole second half in her path, hoping to slow her down. But Rogue was becoming more sure of her newly gained powers, and she simply plowed through them as if they were made of thread instead of metal.

She caught up to him quickly, and smiled to herself when it looked like she would finally hit her target. But an invisible something stopped her from attaining her goal, from tasting revenge. She knew immediately that Magneto had thrown up a magnetic shield. She fumed at him for a moment, glaring hot death at him, but he merely watched her, no emotion evident on his visage.

It was when she tried to float away, to take a look at the big picture and reevaluate the stituation, that she realized he had locked her in. She growled and began to throw herself recklessly against the magnetic shields enclosing her. She wouldn't be a prisoner again. Never again.

When she exhausted herself against the unyielding invisible walls that kept her from going away, she turned a heated stare on Magneto, who calmly watched her. What little face she could see through his mask showed on emotion. Just his steely gaze meeting her own full of hatred. She glared at him for a moment.

"Ah won't be yo' prisoner again," she yelled at him. "An' Ah won't fo'give yah fah what yah did t'me! What ya put me through!"

Magneto gave a slight shake of his head, the gesture filled with contempt. "I didn't tell Mystique to make you a part of the Brotherhood again. She made that decision on her own. I merely told her we needed to bring another mutant into the Brotherhood and train them all to be more capable. How she interpreted my orders were her business, not mine."

"Liar!" Rogue yelled at him. "It's because of you Ah had to spend my summer in hell."

"No," Mageneto's voice cut through her tirade, effectively cutting her off. "You blame the wrong person, girl. And you have taken on more than you can handle. You need to take this matter up with your mother. I will let this error pass, this time, child. But if you take such liberties to attack me again, I will be forced to act accordingly."

Rogue began to yell at him again, blaming him still, refusing to acknowledge Mystique as her mother and cursing Magneto for calling her so. Anything that came into her head, she yelled at him. But Magneto was no longer listening, and was moving Rogue away from him, courtesy of the Magnetic bubble that surrounded her. The magnetic field did not dissipate until Rogue was inches off the ground and in the middle of all the action. She knew she was free when she suddenly hit the ground.

She looked instantly to Magneto, but he had disappeared. She searched fervently, her eyes roaming the sky, looking for the Master of Magnetism. She didn't have time to find him, however, with the battle raging around her. Someone called for her to look out, and Rogue jumped out of the way just in time for Blob to just miss stepping on her.

It wasn't until that point that she finally took notice of the fight her fellow X-Men were engaged in. Although the X-Men outnumbered the Brotherhood, their counterparts were holding their own. Avalanche was blocking all of Jean's attacks by throwing up a wall of earth every time she tried to TK anything at him. Toad was standing at his back, spitting his globules at Jean to throw her off guard. Quicksilver was zipping around, almost strategically, keeping Spyke, Gambit and Iceman all on their toes. Once or twice the speed demon almost tricked one of them into icing or spiking or exploding a team mate, but they all managed to move or block the attack at the last minute.

Blob was holding his own against Nightcrawler and ShadowKat. The two found themselves too busy evading his attacks, as he ripped up whatever was handy and threw it at them, to go on the offensive. Wolverine was engaged in a neck to neck fight with Mystique. Both were equally matched, unable to get an advantage over the other. Rogue finally spotted Magneto, but he was dueling with Storm's lightening.

That's when Rogue realized how well the Brotherhood were working against the X-Men. As a team, effectively countering the attacks of their opponents. She realized that much of the goal of their travels over the summer had been to train the Brotherhood to work together, to be a more effective team. Rogue could see now how much their training was paying off.

She also realized that she needed to help them. A swelling of pride came over her for a moment as she realized just how helpful she could be with her new powers. But she had no time to gloat to herself. Her teammates, her family, was in trouble. Thinking quickly as she scanned the scene one more time, she took off, aiming herself at the Blob. She rammed into his side as he picked up half a tree and looked around for either ShadowKat or Nightcrawler, whichever he could find first to throw it at. Rogue's attack caught him off guard, putting him off balance with the huge weight in his hands. The tree trunk hit the ground and the dual force of Rogue and Blob left a furrow in their wake ten feet long and at least two feet deep.

Rogue pulled herself from Blob's mass. She knew she had to act quickly. As effective as the attack had been, there was no way it was enough to have knocked him out. Sure enough a massive arm swung in her direction. Rogue moved quickly, getting out of its way. It flailed past her harmlessly, and she grabbed it, using her flight to lift herself and her opponent up into the air.

"Hey, what are you doing?" the Blob yelled at her as he watched the ground quickly move away from him.

"Logan always said yah could make anythin' intah a weapon," Rogue grunted her reply, the Blob's weight a burden even for her.

As she answered, she began to spin around, building up the momentum she would need. She only hoped she didn't overshoot and miss her target. She could hear her passenger yelling at her as she spun faster and faster. The centrifugal force enough to keep him from lashing out at her.

When she thought she had gained enough drive, hoped she had it, she let him go and watched him fly off in Avalanche and Toad's direction. She still wasn't sure if he would hit them or not. In fact, really she hoped he didn't. She wasn't sure if they'd survive being sat upon by the veritable giant. But she did hope her tactic worked.

Fred landed mere inches from his two teammates. The force of his impact set the ground rumbling around him, knocking the two off their feet and distracting them from their attack. ShadowKat moved in and phased the Blob two thirds of the way into the ground. Kurt landed on top of Toad in a puff of smoke and then disappeared with him in the same way. Working together, Jean, Nightcrawler and ShadowKat now seemed to have those three under control. But there were still other battles going on that needed help in turning the tides.

Focusing now on Quicksilver, she saw that he was still besting his three opponents with ease. It looked as if Spyke, Gambit and Iceman were haphazardly throwing around ice, charged cards or bone spikes with how quickly the speedy lad was zipping around them. Rogue winced as Spyke took one of Iceman's blasts in the arm. But it didn't seem to effect him much as he shattered the ice, freeing himself, by shooting bone spikes out of the limb.

Quicksilver had to be slowed down, but Rogue wasn't sure she could help. She was having a hard time keeping track of the boy herself, and she was pretty sure he was still moving faster than she could, even with the super speed her flight afforded her.

But someone else was jumping in to help the three boys. Quicksilver lost his speed when he lost his contact with the ground. With a glance, Rogue spotted Jean who was using her telekinetic powers to lift the young man off the ground. Now the other three had a better chance at him.

Rogue, help ShadowKat with Avalanche and the Blob, she heard the red head's voice in her head. You'll be more help there, than with this one.

Rogue acknowledged the command by immediately speeding off to where Blob had landed. Nightcrawler and Toad were still missing, but Avalanche was trying to help free the Blob by loosening the ground around the massive boy with small quakes. Slowly they were freeing him, but ShadowKat kept impeding their progress by phasing the Blob deeper into the earth.

Avalanche saw Rogue at the last minute. He threw up an earthen wall in her path in an attempt to slow her down. She plowed right through, grabbing Avalanche as she flew over him, separating him from the ground he controlled with his powers.

"Let me go, Rogue," Lance demanded, squirming in her grip.

"You really want me t'do that, sugah?" Rogue asked, gesturing to the distance they had traveled from the ground. "Cause if ya honestly do, Ah'll-"

"No!" Lance suddenly changed his mind when he realized how high they were. "But I do want you to put me back on the ground."

"Well, ya know what they say. Ya don't always get what ya want," Rogue replied, hanging onto Avalanche by the shoulders.

As she passed over one of the higher trees some distance from the Institute, she deposited her load into the upper branches. Flying away, she waved at him and winked, then turned and left him to clamber back down to the ground. As high up as he was, carefully picking his way back down through the branches was the only way he could get back to the ground without risking himself harm.

When Rogue got back to the battle, she saw that the Brotherhood was being driven back. The X-Men had the upper hand finally, and worked together to repel their enemies. Even Logan had found his advantage over Mystique, the woman haphazardly attacking shadows, while Logan used guerilla tactics to attack her. Rogue had a feeling Xavier had something to do with that.

Finally the call came from Magneto to regroup and retreat. It was as if the X-Men answered that call as well, merely watching as the Brotherhood fell back to their leader, instead of pursuing. Nightcrawler reappeared next to Iceman, Spyke and Gambit, without Toad. Jean set Quicksilver down, showing the effects of ice, explosives and bone spikes, near to his father. Mystique disengaged herself from her fight with Wolverine, who didn't pursue, surprisingly enough. The Blob managed to finally pull himself from the earth, and he rambled back to stand with what was left of his teammates.

No final words were spoken. Magneto merely swept his gaze over the X-Men, settling it lastly on Xavier. The men seemed to have a silent battle of wills before Magneto retreated with his Brotherhood. None of the X-Men relaxed or moved their stares from the Brotherhood's withdraw until the group of evil mutants had been out of sight for some time.

It was Xavier, carried by Beast, who finally broke the silence. "Good work my students."

The sound of his voice was like a switch being flicked. Everyone pulled their gazes from the horizon to look at him, each body relaxing, some faster than others. Some took in the damage that had been done to their home. The earth that had been ripped up, the mangled gates, the holes in the brick wall, the foliage that had been destroyed. Others looked at their teammates, making sure everyone was accounted for and that no one had sustained any serious wounds.

"Go get cleaned up," Xavier's next words were gentle and compassionate. "The remainder of the night is yours to rest and relax. Your Danger Room sessions for tonight and tomorrow are cancelled."

"However, they start up again promptly, morning after next," Logan added gruffly, catching every eye to make sure they knew he was serious.

Slowly, the students began to move back towards the mansion. Bobby was utterly exhausted, not used to such an intense use of his powers in a relatively short amount of time. Evan and Kurt came up behind him and put his arms around their shoulders, giving him support. He gave them a warm smile in gratitude. Hank carried Xavier towards the front doors, Ororo falling in with them, the three already talking about what had just occurred. Analyzing the fight, proposing reasons for the attack. They would be in Xavier's study for quite a while discussing the battle, everyone knew. Jean and Kitty walked together, stretching and rubbing fatigued bodies. They laughed and giggled as they shared some joke. Anything to help lighten the situation.

With a long sigh, Rogue turned to make her own way to the Mansion. She longed for a long, hot bath and soft bed. Logan's rough voice stopped her in her tracks. Remy, who had been approaching her to walk with her, also stopped and looked at Logan. Then he walked on, leaving the two alone.

"You pulled a risky stunt, back there," Logan began his lecture even before Rogue could turn to face him. "You put yer teammates in danger by ignorin' orders and takin' off on yer own."

"You don't understand!" Rogue shot back.

"Wrong!" Logan cut her off. "I don't care. We work as a team, Rogue. When you're fightin' with yer fellow X-Men, personal woes don't matter. By tryin' to avenge yer own demons, you put everyone else in trouble. You better be up and ready for a Danger Room Session with the new recruits bright and early tomorrow morning. Five AM."

"But Xavier said-"

"I know what he said. Everyone else earned that break. You only earned yerself extra trainin'. You and I will be in there after school tomorrow, too."

Rogue could tell she wouldn't change Logan's mind, only anger him more. Of course, no one else would have tried to argue like she had. They would have meekly took his lecture and then nodded at him when he set their punishment. Still, she knew a losing battle when she saw it, and she was losing this one. Taking his prolonged silence as a sign that they were done, she turned around and stomped back to the Mansion.

"Remember, Rogue. Five AM."

* * *

The phone rang in Scott's dorm room, startling him from Chapter 1 of his Biology book. He was doing an initial reading before he'd go back and take notes on the chapter. Setting the book aside he grabbed the receiver, wondering who would be calling him. Brad and Nathan, maybe? Though he had already turned down an offer to play video games with them in order to study. They'd scoffed at how hard he was working when classes hadn't even started yet, but hadn't pressed him to join them.

Scott sat up in surprise when Jean's voice answered his salutation. He could tell by her voice that she was tired. More tired than she should have been when it was only seven o' clock. But she still sounded cheerful, despite her fatigue. And even a bit relieved. Still, Scott couldn't help feeling concerned.

"What's wrong? Did something happen?" he asked almost immediately.

Jean chuckled on the other end of the line. "Hey, I'm supposed to be the psychic one here."

If she was making jokes, it meant that anything that might have happened hadn't been all that serious. At the same time, the little joke had been an affirmation to his suspicions.

"What happened?" he asked again.

"A little spat with the Brotherhood," Jean answered. She gave him the whole story when he pressed for details.

"I don't like it. Magneto almost never fights with the Brotherhood. Same with Mystique. They usually keep their distance and let their lackeys do the dirty work," Scott immediately began to analyze the attack.

Jean agreed with him, but brushed that concern off. "What I'm really worried about was Rogue's reaction."

Scott frowned. He still hadn't been told exactly what had happened to Rogue during her disappearance. He knew only that she had been with Mystique and the Brotherhood. He hadn't even had a chance to talk with her, though Jean and Xavier had both assured him repeatedly that she was doing okay.

"She just went crazy," Jean continued. "The way she attacked Magneto directly."

Scott's eyes went wide behind his sunglasses. "She what?!"

"She had only one thing on her mind, Scott. Revenge. Whatever happened to her this summer, it left a scar. She was projecting it so strongly, I almost couldn't focus on the fight with the Brotherhood."

Scott sensed Jean was as worried for the Goth girl as much as he was, despite the fact that Rogue refused to get along with the red head. He knew Jean was genuinely concerned for her teammate. They both worried over her together, trying to break past her shell and get close to her. If only she could see how much they really cared about her and wanted to help her.

"She snapped out of it eventually and helped the rest of us. But for a while there, I thought we had lost her," Jean finished quietly.

"Is everyone alright?" Scott asked. He didn't know what else to say. He hadn't been there. Couldn't gauge Rogue's reaction or try to figure out what it meant or give Jean any of the answers she wanted for Rogue.

"Yes, we're all okay," Jean supplied.

She gave a quick run down of everyone. The newest members of the team, Bobby and Remy, she reported as handling the situation well. Bobby hadn't goofed off, and Remy especially seemed to handle himself with experience. The others were still working well together, and integrating the new members into the group. Scott smiled with pride.

"And you're sure you're okay?" Scott asked her again, softly.

He could sense her smile on the other end. "I'm fine. I promise."

"And you know Xavier will help Rogue?"

"Of course. There's no one more qualified."

"Thanks for calling. For keeping me up to date."

"I know how much you worry about everyone. Xavier and the other teachers are still discussing it. But I thought you'd want to know."

Scott laughed lightly. "You know me so well."

"You'd be mad if you didn't find out about the attack until a few days later. I know that as well," Jean replied, laughing with him.

"Take care of them, Jean. You guys are the only family I've known for so long," he couldn't keep the sentimental tone out of his voice.

"Our fearless leader isn't going to cry, now, is he?" Jean chided lightly, trying to lighten the mood.

"You're the fearless leader, now, not me," Scott reminded.

"No pressure or anything, right?" Jean remarked sarcastically.

"It's in the job description."

"How did you do it, Scott?"

"Because I had to. Because I didn't want to lose any of you."

They sat in silence for a while. Both letting the moment linger. The invisible bonds between them strengthened in that moment, as they shared the burden that came along with caring for people so deeply.

"I've got to go, Scott. I'm tired and I need to get some homework done before I get some sleep," Jean's voice called him back from his thoughts.

"Take care, Jean."

"I will. Bye."

He replaced the receiver, having now forgotten the science book in front of him. A part of him wished to be back with his teammates, wanting to make sure everyone was okay. But he reminded himself that he couldn't. And that he could trust Jean to take care of them. He also wondered why Magneto had made such an attack. It seemed so unlike him. Never had he assaulted the Mansion directly. He preferred, instead, to draw the X-Men out.

But the foremost thought on Scott's mind was Rogue. He had been so relieved when he'd gotten the call that she'd returned to the mansion only days before. But it was obvious now that it didn't mean she was okay. Jean had reported that she had adjusted back to Mansion life easily. But he saw the little signs to show she wasn't the same Rogue that had been taken from them.

Scott stopped himself before he went any farther. He'd dwelled on Rogue enough. If he let his mind wander down that path again, he'd only end up thinking about her the entire night, keeping him from doing anything productive or getting very much sleep. He had to let Xavier help her. He couldn't do anything for her from college. He had to worry about the here and now.

Propping the Science book up in his hands, he forced himself to concentrate on the words. It was only a matter of days before classes started up. He had to be ready. That was what he needed to focus on now.

"You're here for a reason," he reminded himself firmly. "Don't forget that."


	19. Well, I know it It’s a shame A shame I...

Title: _The House of the Rising Sun_, Chapter 16

Author: Goddess Evie

Date: 03/04/05

Genre: Romance (Remy/Rogue, Scott/Jean, Lance/Kitty), Action, Drama, Angst, AU, heck, it's got it all…just not all in one chapter.

Rating: G, and I really don't think this'll get above PG.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own X-Men of any incarnation. I am but a poor, fanatical, poor, college graduate who much enjoys a show so that she writes extensive (and hopefully intriguing, enjoyable, and highly popular) fanfiction to feed her insatiable hunger for anything X-Men and is poor, if I haven't mentioned that already. Also, the song lyric I used as the title doesn't belong to me either. I'm quoting Stroke 9's "Little Black Backpack." But, sadly, I own nothing but the plot so don't sue me cause I need all my money for my mission!

Summary: A little time jump. Just a few days. Scott plays the hero. Kitty tried to talk to Lance. Rogue's in trouble again (with Remy there to save her )

Author's notes: Yes, yes, I know. It's been a while. But, I was getting busy with Real Life. That happens every so often. But, I'm glad to be back. Once again, in Scott's scene, there's something else going on besides Scott rescuing the little boy with his name. It's very subtle and hard to pick out, but it'll become apparent in later chapters. Also, I stuck in some Kitty/Lance angst because we needed it and to appease…or piss off…any Kitty/Lance shippers out there. I don't know which I've done…so let me know in a review! And Rogue's got something else going on. Wonder what it could be? HA! I'm not going to tell you. You'll just have to figure it out for yourself. But I'm happy that Remy's there to be her hero. He's always so well placed, in this story. I wonder why that is? laughs

Review Responses:

EileenBlazer – I'm back! Don't be sad no more! Smile! There's a whole new chapter for you to enjoy and analyze and what not! Loving Scott? No. I've despised him and Jean since my first meeting with him on Fox's X-Men series (which now plays on Toon Disney, for you people who are looking for a daily X-Man fix). I like how I write him…and that's the closest I'll ever come. Besides, its fun to have characters to hate, giggles As for Evan. I don't see why people don't like him. I love him. I don't use him very much, myself. But I still liked his character. Give the poor guy a chance, people! I wasn't sure how I would write that action scene, but it came out pretty well. Focusing on just Rogue helped me get through it. And Scott back with the X-Men? We shall see… (and that's all I'm gonna say)

Ishandahalf – DEEP depression, Ishie. It's why I haven't posted a new chapter until now. It's all your fault. Everyone blame Ish! wails No, I'm just kidding. But I was very unhappy to see your awesome fic end. And even more unhappy to see no new fic starting. What the heck? Yes, Rogue went for Mags because she knew that ultimately, he was the one who put the orders to have her kidnapped and caused her traumatic summer. Too bad she's just no match for him…huh?

EmeraldKatsEye – Uh oh, is right. But this next chapter is a bit lighter. And then we get into some heavy stuff again. Still, I hope you enjoy this chap. Even if it did take me forever to get out.

Chapter 16: _Well, I know it. It's a shame. A shame I can't show it._

The first day of classes was over and Scott, Nathan and Brad had retreated to a nearby park to relax a little before tackling their homework. Or, in Brad and Nathan's case, procrastinate tackling their homework more with video games and what not. They'd already stopped to get something to eat at a nearby restaurant and were now happily digesting as they strolled along.

Brad and Nathan, of course, complained about their classes, their teachers, and their scores of homework. Scott attempted to give comfort while also trying to make them see the silver lining. They, in turn, razzed him about being so perfectly content about his classes. The phrase "teacher's pet" was offered more than once. Scott just rolled his eyes, something he'd mastered back in Bayville. The gesture was hidden behind his dark ruby sunglasses.

Scott was listening while Nathan and Brad argued over what they'd do next in lieu of homework when panicked shouting caught his ears. The voice was young sounding and extremely upset. Scott halted and strained to hear. Nathan and Brad gave him odd looks at his behavior before they caught the sound as well.

"It sounds like it's coming from this direction," Nathan said, heading off to the their left.

Brad and Scott followed, heading into a grove of trees. Nathan's guess was correct. The sound grew louder and more panicky and they finally stumbled upon a boy of eight who was desperately crying.

"What's wrong?" Scott took charge, going to one knee before the boy and talking firmly but softly.

"My brother. Over there. We were playing," the boy could barely talk between his sobs, pointing toward an obvious ditch complete with sewer opening. The trees surrounding it conveniently blocked its ugly view from anyone enjoying the park. Seems it made a swell playground for curious children.

Scott didn't wait for more. He headed towards the ditch, Brad right behind him. Nathan opted to wait with the upset child, try to calm him and get more information.

As they neared the edge of the ditch, the reason for the child's upset had become clear. Another child, perhaps ten, sat silently between two of the bars blocking the sewer entrance. He was trapped half-way in, half-way out. He was silent, but the look on his face showed his fear.

Together, Brad and Scott braved the steep hill that led to the concrete bottom of the ditch. The boy's face blossomed with hope when he saw them coming. Scott was assessing the situation and weighing his options even before they reached the kid.

"Help, get me out of here," the child pleaded as Scott and Brad jogged across the concrete to his precarious position.

"Don't worry. We're here to help," Scott soothed, hearing the shakiness of the child's voice. It sounded of more than just the fear of being stuck forever.

"Are you okay?" Brad asked, taking stock of the child' situation.

"I'm just stuck. But there's a dog in there. I…I wanted to save him. But he's not nice. I think he wants to eat me," with these last words the little boy burst into tears to match his brothers.

Scott followed Brad's gaze farther into the sewer. Sure enough a bit of movement and a low growl gave away the dog's presence. He trotted a little bit farther away form the new comers, wary of their arrival. A spot of light through an overhead entrance showed how emaciated the dog was, and how scrumptious a small boy might look. Scott wondered how the dog had ever gotten into the sewer. But not for very long. The kid was holding a large stick in the hand on the inside of the tunnel. His weapon against the dog trying to eat him.

"Brad, go see if you can find some help. A policeman would be great," Scott ordered. With a curt nod, Brad was off. Scott pulled on one of the bars holding the child, testing its strength. "Let's see if we can get you out of here," he suggested to the child.

The little boy just nodded as he watched Scott work. He tested the bars to find them unbudging. Even though Jean was the one gifted with telepathic powers, Scott could sense the immense fear drifting from the boy. He made small talk in an effort to give the boy some comfort.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Scott," the boy answered.

Scott smiled and huffed a laugh. "That's my name, too."

"Really?"

"Yup," Scott turned his attention to the boy. "How'd you get yourself stuck?"

"Sam, that's my brother, and me, we sometimes use this as a short cut. This was the first time we ever saw the dog. But we didn't want him to be stuck in there. We wanted to help him get out. I thought I could fit. And then the dog started growling and getting really scary. He tried to bite me once, but I hit him with my stick," the kid sniffled as spoke, one eye on his fellow Scott, the other on the monster dog. "Then Sam went for help, and you guys came."

"I'm going to try to pull you out," Scott explained when the child was done. We have to get you out of there."

The child nodded, trusting Scott completely. Sticking his own arms around the boy and the bars, he attempted to push-pull the little guy out. But all he got was a painful scream from the boy.

"I can't get through. It hurts," the boy yelled.

The dog barked angrily at the sudden noise, coming closer. He seemed to sense that his prey was distracted and suddenly lunged for the pair, teeth bared. The younger of the Scotts screamed again, his little arm waggling his stick in defense. Big Scott reacted quickly. He grabbed a stick that lay on the ground nearby, sturdy, and swung it through the bars, bashing the dog over the head. High pitched whimpering followed, along with the dog slinking away, not without keeping an eye its target.

Scott thought fast. He HAD to get out the boy out. Couldn't risk another attack like that. Definitely couldn't wait for help to come. Brad's crying for assistance had faded a while ago. Who knew how long it would be?

"Close your eyes," he ordered.

Smaller Scott complied without questions. His child's faith lending him hope and strength. Scott the hero focused his gaze on the bar pressed against the child's stomach. He had to act quickly, but he also had to be careful. With one hand firmly gripping the poor trapped boy, he slowly lowered his sunglasses, letting only the smallest of beams sneak past.

It was enough. The boy slipped free when the metal bar was blasted away, melted like a marshmallow over a campfire. They both tumbled to the concrete, landing hard. The small boy gave a triumphant laugh.

The dog must have thought it needed to take its one last shot. The whole in the bar Scott had made gave it enough room to escape with how thin it already was. Scott wasn't sure if the dog was attacking because it was hungry or just rabid. But it leaped at them once again.

And once again Scott's instincts kicked in. This time, the hand that itched to grab for the rim of his glasses found one of the sticks they'd been using for a weapon instead. He managed to get a good grip on it with both hands as he swung it like a baseball bat. Once again, the wood connected with the dog's head, this time more soundly. The dog's course was thrown and it landed in a heap to the side.

Stick still in hand and standing quickly, Scott watched as it struggled to get to its feet. It cast them one last glance before painfully trotting off down the ditch, away from the sewer entrance and Scott and Scott. They bigger of the two breathed a sigh of relief and looked at his rescue-ee who was still sitting on the ground and looking back up at him.

"Thanks," his shining eyes spoke where his real voice was too weak.

Voices and the rustling of leaves heralded the arrival of help. Brad led a pair of cops down the steep embankment. Scott glanced at the damage he had done to the bar and wondered how he was going to explain it.

"Is everybody alright?" the darker haired police man asked, sounding only a little out of breath.

The little one grunted his affirmative as he climbed to his feet. Scott nodded for them both.

"Looks like the hostage is free," the second cop joked in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"There was a dog also," Scott informed. "Wild, hungry, dangerous. It went off that way."

The cop who had made the joke went off the way Scott indicated, talking into his radio for backup. The darker haired guy stayed and introduced himself as Officer Jones and began to ask questions. Scott wasn't sure how he was going to answer him.

They walked as they talked, heading out of the ditch and back towards where Nathan and Sam were waiting. Sam started crying again when he saw his brother free again, and ran and gave him a hug. Officer Jones continued to question Scott about the escape.

"I'm still not sure how you managed to get the kid out," the cop said when Scott got vague on those details.

"He was like a ninja, busting away the metal," the younger Scott interjected, demonstrating with animation and sound effects.

"You know, like those guys who bust bricks and wood with their fists," Scott picked up on the little boys suggestion. "I just found the weakest point, focused myself and-"

"Right, well, what's important is that he's safe. He's glad you guys came along. And we're lucky you sent out a search party and that Asian lady found me and my partner and sent us to Brad here who led us to you. I'll take these guys home. We'll also have to find that dog."

Nathan, Brad and Scott said farewell to Officer Jones and the two young boys. Jones led the boys back towards the safety of the park, and Scott and his companions headed in the direction of the campus.

"That was a good idea, getting others to search for the authorities," Scott complimented Brad.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I figured it was the best," Brad replied with a shrug.

Scott hadn't noticed before that hid friend seemed a little pale, a little distracted. Then again, perhaps he'd just been worried for the little guy. He'd mentioned he had a younger brother back at home.

"I think we deserve something for our heroic efforts," Nathan suggested before Scott could comment.

"Like what?" Scott wanted to know.

"Like not doing our homework as a reward? There are plenty of video games stockpiled in our dorm room and we still have all night," Nathan reminded.

Scott groaned. "I've got way too much homework."

"I don't want to hear about homework," Brad agreed with his comrade, ganging up on Scott. "And we're not giving you a choice."

Scott laughed and resisted a little, but not too much and not with much effort.

* * *

Lance had spotted Kitty standing outside the front of the store about five minutes before he was due for a break. She didn't enter, but he caught her looking at him more than once, though she tried to pretend she hadn't been. He had a feeling she was waiting for him. He couldn't help but feeling a little relieved after the way she had been acting towards him lately. Then again, her presence didn't ensure good news. He knew she could just as easily be here to tell him that they could no longer be friends anymore and should stop seeing each other. But that didn't quell that hope that built in his heart and made it beat a little faster.

And when he walked out of the store to grab a soda from the food court, he was still surprised to hear her actually speak to him. He paused and looked at her, unable for once to read the expression in her eyes and not liking it. With a shrug he agreed to let her talk, warning her that he didn't have a lot of time and that she'd have to do it on the fly.

She kept up with him despite his long striding pace. It was a natural defense to put up a wall and give her a slightly frosty shoulder. But his ears and heart were both open, ready to latch onto any positive words.

She tried to broach the subject easily, starting first with small talk about how his day was going. And did he like his job? He replied with short, polite but pert answers. He didn't say anything he wouldn't to anybody else who asked him the same things. Finally, standing in a line for a pretzel place, he looked at her straight for the first time since she'd first approached him.

"Stop all this chit chat and just get off your chest what's bothering you," he ordered. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been so short with her.

The look she gave told him what she was trying to do wasn't easy. A part of him didn't care. Another part did. He tried to bury that part.

"Look, Rogue told me what happened this summer," she finally spat out. "All of it."

The way she said that last part told him she wasn't happy. But he had already guessed that part. Still, he couldn't look at her anymore, and the guilt that had been plaguing him for days welled up again.

"So?" was the only word he could out, derisive and uncaring.

"How could you do that? I thought you were better than that. I know you're better than that!"

"Really, Kitty? Are you still hoping I'll give the X-Men another try?" he kept his voice low, knowing their fight was not one anybody should be overhearing.

"I never wanted you to be something you're not," she tried to assure him.

"Good, cause I'll never be a bleeding heart," he assured back.

"But you're not a heartless abuser, either," her voice was meek, her eyes pleaded.

"What do you want? To deny that everything Rogue said happened, didn't? I can't. You wouldn't believe me, even if I tried."

"I don't want you to lie."

"Then, what, Kitty? An apology? I don't owe you that."

"What about Rogue?"

"Are we talking about her? Or are we talking about us?"

"Right now, it's all the same," he could hear the angerentering her voice. Her shyness was fading.

"Yeah? Well, seems to me you've already decided I'm the bad guy here," he observed.

"I haven't decided anything."

"And I still don't know what you want."

"I want you to tell me why you did it."

Those words stopped him in his tracks. How he could he tell her such a thing? He was still trying to grasp the reasons himself.

"I thought you cared about her. Even if she had gone to the other side, I thought you guys still counted her as a friend. And I thought you cared about me."

He couldn't answer her. He physically could not make his mouth move to get a word out. Silence reigned between them, and pressure built between Lance's shoulders. He didn't know how much more guilt he could bear. First Rogue. Now Kitty.

"You wouldn't understand," he tried to brush her off. He didn't feel like he was lying.

"You haven't given me a chance to."

"You haven't given _me_ a chance until now."

Kitty began to reply, but Lance cut her off. "I don't have time for this. I have to get back to work."

He slapped down a couple of dollar bills and growled for a large soda. He didn't wait for his change when his drink was placed before him.

"I have to get back to the others anyways," Kitty admitted as he began to walk off.

So, she wasn't here alone, just to see him. It hadmerely been the most convenient time for her.

"Maybe you should try actually making the time to talk," he suggested, his back to her. "Like when neither of us are busy."

He didn't wait for her reply. Strode off again purposely, heading back to work. He knew she wouldn't follow. Like she had said, she had her X-Men waiting for her. But he wondered if she would accept his invitation, as angrily as he had thrown it. His heart wouldn't have let him walk away without throwing her a life line.

* * *

Rogue wasn't surprised to see Remy standing by the Danger Room doors even though the practice scheduled was for the younger mutants. And her. Part of her punishment. Logan still hadn't let up since the fight with Magneto a couple days ago. But Remy had helped to make the extra practice sessions easier to bear by joining a few of them of his own free will. Logan hadn't complained and Rogue knew it was because he couldn't complain about any of the students willingly putting in extra drills. Lord knew Evan or Kurt or even Kitty would never think of doing such a thing.

"How many more o'dese t'ings yo' gonna have t'do?" Remy asked as she approached where he stood a little ways away from the rest of the group.

Rogue shrugged, eyeing the people she'd be working with for the evening. Jubilee and Amara, Bobby, even though he was considered a probationary member of the official X-men, and Sam. The foursome laughed and giggled, amusing themselves while they waited for Logan's arrival.

"It's not lahke ya have t'be here," Rogue reminded.

Remy just grinned.

"Alright, listen up," Logan's gruff voice boomed, getting everyone's attention.

The four younger mutants shut up and faced the man quickly. Rogue waited for them to salute. She and Remy both turned to face Logan as well, but at their own leisure and trying to look bored.

Finding all eyes on him, Logan began to explain what their mission for the day would be. At least what their first mission would be. Rogue only half listened. She'd found that the drills the younger mutants endured were nowhere near as difficult or complicated as the ones she was used to running with her usual teammates. Besides, she wasn't here to do anything important, like lead the team. For the most part, that was left up to Bobby, seeing as he was trying to prove himself worthy of the X-Men. She was just there to fill in the team and serve her punishment.

Logan gave as many details as he thought the team needed, then opened the Danger Room doors to let them in. The doors hissed closed behind them again when they were all inside. It was a few minutes wait for Logan to get up to the control panel and then the program began, the metal walls fading out and their current scenario fading in.

This first demonstration was meant specifically to exercise their mutant powers. Ice Man's manipulation of the cold, Jubilee's fireworks, Amara's lava form and Sam the human cannonball. Gambit and Rogue used the exercise as a warm up. But from the beginning Logan had ordered them to hold back. If they used their expertise in the Danger Room, the younger members would never get the practice they needed.

That was no problem for Rogue. She did just enough to keep herself protected and give her body and powers a good warm up. Neither her nor Remy thought about what they were doing, but they could tell the other four were concentrating hard during this exercise. Rogue was surprised at how much they had to exert to keep themselves safe from the many dangers and pitfalls Logan had set up for him.

The simulation ended when Logan was satisfied. His voice boomed over the loudspeaker, detailing their next mission. As all the others Rogue had run with the less experienced members, this program was designed to force the Mutants to work together. Rogue had never realized how much of a challenge it could be to get a bunch of young teens who wanted to outshine each other in order to get a spot on the coveted X-Men team to work together. Sometimes it happened, sometimes it didn't.

Today it did. Rogue hadn't worked with this combination of the younger Mutants before. But they worked well together. Of the few she'd seen, so far, they were best combination. Bobby led them more easily than any of the others, and they gave him the least trouble. About as much as Scott had ever received from his team. Rogue and Remy tried to set a good example, doing what Bobby asked of them without complaint. When he called on them at all. Even though this was his seventh session with Rogue, and his fourth with Remy, he still seemed to hesitate to call on people who were, technically, above him.

Logan called him on that exact issue when the simulation ended. Although they'd completed the simulation, Rogue knew they could have done it faster if Bobby had put her own and Remy's powers to use more often. After Logan ran down the mistakes Bobby had made, as well as suggestions for improvements, he ripped into the others. Remy and Rogue weren't immune to this treatment either. When he was done, they all waited for a summary of the next mission.

She and Remy exchanged looks of surprise when Logan informed them they could go. They didn't hesitate too long before retreating to the opening door. Rogue didn't miss the jealous glances cast their way by the four who had to stay. Nor Logan's warning that this didn't mean her punishment was over and that she was expected to be present for the next morning's practice.

Rogue stretched the few kinks she'd worked up as she and Remy walked towards the elevator. "Why d'ya think Logan let me go?"

"Never question good luck,' Remy replied smoothly. "S'a sure fire way t'turn dat luck aroun'."

Rogue rolled her eyes. "I'm just glad t'be out early enough to get dinnah on tahme."

Remy agreed as they entered the elevator. Rogue hit the button for the main floor and the doors silently closed. The elevator started up. Rogue could feel it in her stomach.

And in her head. Or maybe that wasn't the elevator.

She reached out for anything to hold onto as a migraine washed over her. It affected her vision and her balance. Grasping at Remy's shirt sleeve and the elevator handhold, Rogue lost the strength to stand.

"Rogue, what's wrong?" Remy's voice called out to her in the fog as he helped to support her and ease her to the ground.

"Ah don't know," she replied through gritted teeth.

It wasn't Carol. It didn't have the fire or the hate to be her. And she was still locked up securely behind Xavier's mind shield. No, it felt more like somebody was pulling at her cerebellum. There was a distinct tug on her brain and it hurt like hell.

The elevator doors opened again and Rogue couldn't fight Remy lifting her into his arms. She swung an arm around his shoulders with a little help from him and gave a whimper as the jostle sent a sharp pain to shoot through her head.

"We gonna get you t'da professor," Remy ordered.


	20. Cause inside you’re uglyugly like me

Title: _The House of the Rising Sun_, Chapter 17

Author: Goddess Evie

Date: 10/20/06

Genre: Romance (Remy/Rogue, Scott/Jean, Lance/Kitty), Action, Drama, Angst, AU, heck, it's got it all…just not all in one chapter.

Rating: G, and I really don't think this'll get above PG.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own X-Men of any incarnation. I am but a poor, fanatical, poor, college graduate who much enjoys a show so that she writes extensive (and hopefully intriguing, enjoyable, and highly popular) fanfiction to feed her insatiable hunger for anything X-Men and is poor, if I haven't mentioned that already. Also, the song lyric I used as the title doesn't belong to me either. I'm quoting Staind's "Outside." But, sadly, I own nothing but the plot so don't sue me cause I need all my money for my mission!

Summary: The truth is revealed. gasp And how everyone reacts to it. That's all I'm gonna say. Just read the durn thing.

Author's notes: For all who think I've dropped off the face of the earth and exploded…or do you implode in space? Ah well, here is proof, finally, that I haven't. I was just in Nevada for 18 months. And why would that stop me from updating? Well, I was on a mission and couldn't even work on this. So, I finally have the chance to work on it and give you all my humble offerings. I only hope you haven't forgotten me and that you'll forgive me. Oh, and sorry that I left Scott in kind of the middle a story line. I think/hope things should pick up more from here. And sorry if the grammar/spelling/wording is poor. I was determined to get another chapter out, I didn't want to take too much time. And it's late and I'm lazy. whines

Review Responses: I know it's been a year and a half since the last chapter came out and nobody can probably remember what they wrote in their review, but I'm still going to do review responses so that people feel…acknowledged?

tinuviel-telcontar: Sorry I didn't include any Lance stuff to help you figure out his psyche. In fact, as this point, the brotherhood is completely left out. Who knows how they are taking this? I certainly don't. Heheh. No, I have some plans for them. I have LOTS of plans cackles And as for Brad, well, once again, I have plans for him. So, there is definitely more than meets the eye.

Eileen Blazer: I don't think this chapter answers any of the burning questions you left in your review. What is it about Brad? What's happening to Rogue? Why is one of Scott's friends name Nathan? Well, that last one I can answer. No, he will not end up being Cable, Jean and Scott's child from the future. That was purely coincidence. But the two former questions you'll just have to keep reading to find your answers to. Ah suspense. How else am I supposed to keep you coming back for more and leaving me lovely reviews?

Randirogue: I am so proud of you for remembering the fortune given Remy by the fortune teller in the, what, second prologue? (By the way, only I would have three prologues. ) You have so many questions that I am just dieing to answer, but as you said, they will be answered within the context of the story. So read on, and sorry this chapter doesn't give more answers to all your questions…but at least I updated!

Kitrazzle Fayn: laughs Oh, thank you for your lovely review. It makes my heart sing to hear such praise of my humble fic. I do hope you keep reading it!

Ishandahalf: "Quick like a bunny on crack!" How I missed hearing those words while I was on my 18 month hiatus. And how I missed reading Ishie's reviews! I missed you Ishie! Please forgive for being away for so long. I hope this update helps and I hope I can make this into an updating streak. I know you have tons of questions, but like everyone else's, none of them are probably going to be answered in this chapter. I'm just creating more angst for the poor guys. And even though there is minimal (and by minimal I mean scandously low, especially for me) Remy/Rogueness, I do hope you enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 17: _I'm on the outside. I'm looking in. I can see through you. See your true colors. Cause inside you're ugly-ugly like me. I can see through you. See to the real you._

They'd always remember where they were when it happened. Some would even remember something like what song was playing on the radio when it was interrupted, or what they had been doing at the exact moment the news hit their ears. Others would remember other things, like how scared it made them feel, or the way all hope was rocketed right out of them. One or two would remember the tears they shed. It was like Kennedy being assassinated all over again, only worse.

Rogue and Remy had been in the small dining room working on the French project that was due in a couple of days. They hadn't worked on it before that afternoon, despite having received the assignment two weeks ago. It seemed like the end of the world if they didn't get it finished on time. Research a major event in French History to present to the class. They'd spent most of the two weeks arguing over what event they should do, before finally settling on the French presenting the Statue of Liberty to the United States of America.

Logan had been there as well, reading the paper and listening to the five o'clock news. It was the only reason they'd had the chance to see the whole broadcast in all its horrifying glory. Rogue could remember how quickly her and Remy's quibbling had ceased when the news had suddenly been replaced by the commanding image of Erik Lensherr.

Logan's paper had dropped from his hands to the floor and Remy and Rogue completely forgot about the project that had been so important thirty seconds ago. All attention was given to the tiny TV screen, Magneto's glare impressive even transmitted via radio waves. Logan suddenly stepped forward to flip up the volume in time to hear Erik's first words.

"Homo sapiens of the world. Your dominion over this earth is coming to an end. Soon, you will become as the rest of the animals on this planet. Evolution has created its new rulers. Homo superior walk among you. We are stronger, better, more powerful. You will learn to kneel before us and call us master."

Erik's visage left the screen, to be replaced by footage of the very Homo superiors he had been talking about. He continued to talk as the recordings played, showing scenes of Brotherhood and X-Men using their awesome powers. Rogue recognized many of the fights, the battles being submitted for public viewing. She watched as the faces of the X-Men-Kitty, Kurt, Evan, Jean, Scott, even herself, flashed across the screen.

"What you see now is no trick of the camera. These events have actually happened. These people are real. And so is the power they wield. For so long we have lived in secret, walking among you, pretending to be like you. But we will cloister ourselves no more."

The Brotherhood was not forgotten in the show. Lance, Pietro, Wanda, Todd and Fred were also shown, using their mutant powers. Rogue could feel her face pale, watching how terrible they all looked. Like monsters waging war with each other. Was this what Magneto had had in mind the entire time? Did he mean for them all to look so cruel?

"We are everywhere. We go to your schools. _Jean and Scott walking into the high school. Lance and Kitty laughing by the flag pole. Rogue and Evan and Kurt talking about something in the school halls. Todd and Fred arguing with Tabitha by school busses. _We live in your neighborhoods. _Mystique, shifting from Principal Darkholme to her true form._ We shop with you, _Ororo and Logan strolling downtown, discussing something between themselves. _Work with you, _The Professor sitting in a luxurious restaurant with some important looking men. _Live with you, _Warren spreading his angelic wings and lifting from the roof of a mansion to soar into the sunset. _You cannot escape us.

"We have power you cannot even begin to imagine."

He was silent as the next scene played out. Rogue felt dizzy as she watched. She closed her eyes for a moment. But it didn't help. The scene continued behind her eyelids.

A lone tree in the Louisiana country. A supposedly top secret airbase. A silvery plane coming in for a landing. Lance. Pietro. Fred and Todd. And herself. Three men taken out cleanly. She opened her eyes to watch herself in the television touch the pilot in Fred's arms. Climb into the plane.

She didn't want to watch anymore. She had to turn off the TV. She couldn't make herself move. Couldn't avert her eyes, or make Logan and Remy stop watching. She felt as helpless as if she were back with Mystique and the Brotherhood, forced to do their dirty work.

Right on cue, a blonde woman flew in. She swiped at Rogue once, then grabbed her and took off with her. Rogue watched herself squirming in Carol's arms. Watched her own hesitation as she heard those words whispered in her ear again.

_Rogue, touch her._

She pressed her hands to her ears as if they could halt that voice. She should have pressed them to her eyes. She gave a silent scream as her miniature self placed her unprotected hand on poor, unaware Carol Danvers. Rogue was surprised at how quickly the recording showed them hitting the ground together. She remembered it lasting so much longer.

The scene continued to play out. The Brotherhood surrounded her again as she lay on the ground next to her unconscious victim. Lance's swift kick. Fred hauling her to her feet. In no time she was ripping the collar from her neck to the astonishment of the four boys around her. She turned and began to run away.

Pietro was a blur as he caught up to her. Zipped around her. Taunted and played with her. It didn't last long as Rogue watched her own first solo flight. The boys were once again struck dumb with amazement as they watched her floating in the sky. They didn't even react when she came back their way to retrieve the still unconscious Carol.

The scene came to a halt, Magneto's intimidating visage fading in, overlaying the view. "Do not resist. It would be futile. You would never be able to defeat us. This is not a warning. This is a promise. Homo superior will rule as the new Gods. The earth will be ours. Your time is limited."

The broadcast ended. Rogue stood up, her chair scraping loudly against the floor. The sound broke the trance Logan and Remy had been in and they both looked to her. She didn't even try to fight the tears that welled in her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. Nor did she allow Remy to comfort her, the worry in his voice sounding like pity to her. She was acutely aware of her Mutant power, pulling away violently when he tried to touch her.

"Chère," he called to her softly.

She turned away.

"Rogue," Logan's usually gruff voice was low, almost a whisper.

She couldn't face them. They'd witnessed her nightmare. They'd seen what she'd done. The truth was bared before them and the evidence was overwhelming.

Even as she heard Xavier's voice in her head, calling her to join him for a school wide conference, she ran from them. From all of them. The confused and scared students roaming the hall. Ororo, trying to regain order and calm. She could pick out those who had seen the broadcast. They were the ones who gave her the widest berth.

Once she was out the doors, she didn't stop running. The Mansion grounds were expansive. She could hide anywhere. They wouldn't find her for a very long time. Not until she wanted to be found.

* * *

Remy stood at the back of a very crowded room. A large table surrounded by high backed, black leather chairs took up most of the space and gave it a business conference room feel. Ororo and Hank sat in the two chairs closest to the head of the table, where there was no chair. Next to them was the official X-Men team, excluding himself and Rogue. Filling up the rest of the table were the younger mutants. Remy had a feeling there was some sort of rank that decided who got a seat and who didn't. But he didn't care enough to try to figure it out.

Anybody who had not arrived in time to snag a chair stood around the edges of the room. The chattering was loud as everyone waited for Xavier himself to arrive, especially among the younger students. The six Mutants at the head of the table spoke softly to each other randomly, but mostly stayed quiet.

Remy tried not to eavesdrop on the younger students' conversations. He could sense the all over anxiety in the room. He wanted to just believe it was due to the public announcement that Mutants existed. He didn't want to hear one bad thing about Rogue.

The door opened, and every head turned towards it. A blonde man wearing a light brown trench coat entered. Most of the occupants turned away when it wasn't Xavier. One of the younger mutants was ousted form his seat to make room for the new comer next to Evan.

This man's presence made the room much quieter, though Remy couldn't begin to guess why. He greeted the elder X-Men with a nod of his head. Jean began a conversation with him, quietly so that nobody would overhear. Kitty, Evan and Kurt listened, but didn't offer much input. Remy knew how they felt. He didn't know what to say at a moment like this, either. And his name hadn't even been broadcast across national TV, maybe even worldwide.

Finally the door opened and Xavier wheeled in. He looked calm, but he always did. He greeted the blonde man, thanking him for coming. What little noise there had been following the blonde man's entrance quieted immediately. Every face, even Remy's, turned to their mentor to see what he had to say.

Xavier didn't begin to speak immediately. First he looked over the gathering of his students, fingers steepled in front of his lips. He took a deep breath and exhaled. Remy was surprised. It seemed even Xavier was at a loss of words. At least for a few moments. Finally he pulled his hands away from his face. The room seemed to breathe in simultaneously, waiting for what Xavier would say.

"Magneto has made a bold move and we are no longer a secret. What exact repercussions this will have, I cannot say. I know you all realize the gravity of the situation and that I don't need to impress such a thing upon you. What I do feel I need to mention is how we react. We must stay calm. We cannot spiral out of control, no matter how others react to us."

There was a moment of silence before everyone began talking, wanting to ask their question or get their word in. Remy turned his face away from the scene, closing his eyes and trying to block out the noise. As he did so individual sounds became more distinct and he realized someone was crying. Out of habit he looked around, to see, amid the commotion, the young boy, Jamie, crying to himself as he leaned against the wall. Remy only had to move a couple of inches to reach the boy, putting his arm around the kid's shoulder and pulling him into his side. Jamie didn't fight him, letting his tears go unchecked, now. No one else seemed to notice.

Breathing once deeply to calm his own nerves, Remy watched as Xavier silenced the room again merely by catching everyone's gaze.

"Please, I know you are all scared, but this is exactly what I meant. What we need more than anything right now is to remain calm…and to stick together," Xavier met eyes with everyone again in the next few silent moments.

"What about school?" that was Evan.

"Do you think they'll let us back in ?" Jean added on. Remy hated to hear the unsurety even in her usually confident voice.

"We will just have to see. I expect you all, for now, to live day to day as normally as possible. We will have to cross every bridge, " he paused for another deep breath and Remy knew he was hating to use the old cliché, "as we come to it."

If Jamie hadn't still been crying into his trench coat, Remy probably would have left at the moment. Even though he had followed Logan's directions and come to this meeting when he'd wanted to go after Rogue, the desire to do so hadn't lessened. Xavier continued to field questions from the students, but Remy didn't pay much attention.

He slid to a crouching position and faced the youngest mutant whose face was all blotchy and red from crying. He wiped his nose on his sleeve.

"Ev'ryt'ing gonna be okay," Remy said softly.

Jamie didn't look like he really believed that. "I only heard about what they showed on TV," he admitted, "but everyone's really worried. And I'm scared."

"I'm too," Remy told him. "I t'ink ev'ryone here is. But like Xavier said, we stick togeder and we be okay."

"How do ya know that?" Jamie still sounded unsure.

Remy decided the truth would be the best answer. "I don'. I can only hope, but dere are a lot o' great people in dis room an' dey all want t'make sure yo' safe."

Jamie looked around, his face returning to normal color. He sniffled and nodded his head as he looked over the people he had come to know and trust. If only Rogue could be this easy. Remy stood up again and ruffled the kid's hair. Jamie grabbed a bunch of Remy's trench coat in a tight fist and the Cajun knew he was stuck for a little longer.

For a moment, he wondered where Rogue might be, but since he was stuck here at least until the meeting lasted, he might as well pay attention.

* * *

Scott sat in his room studying for biology-he had a feeling there was a pop quiz coming up-when he heard the familiar voice in his head. Smaller and farther away sounding than he was used to, but Xavier none the less. Alarmed as he was that Xavier would make the effort to speak with him telepathically, he stayed calm and listened to what the Professor had to say.

I suggest you check out what's on the news, then be careful and stay out of sight. I will contact you later.

Scott had a million questions to ask, but as he was not himself, psychic, and he had a feeling Xavier wasn't listening for a reply, he rose from his desk and headed out to the den area where a big screen TV was available for the general use of the students in the dormitory.

The six o' clock news was already on and more students than usual were gathered around the TV. Scott had a feeling that he should hang back and not draw attention to himself, but this meant that he was having a hard time hearing what was being said.

"Hey, turn it up!" somebody requested and as the volume on the TV rose, Scott silently thanked the person.

"…only half an hour ago a self-proclaimed 'Homo Superior' broadcast a message that claims a new evolutions of humans have secretly been living among the rest of us 'normal' people. There is no certainty to whether or not the footage shown has been doctored or not, though Mr. Lensherr assured that it wasn't. We have the footage, now."

Scott could barely breathe as the newscaster was replaced by the face of none other than Magneto, declaring the existence of mutants as well as their so called superiority. As soon as he saw his own face among his fellow mutants, Scott new he should have headed back to his room, but he was strangely transfixed by the TV. Every word, every image more firmly rooting him to the floor.

And last but not least, silently playing before him, without even any commentary from Magneto himself, was what unmistakably must have happened to Rogue that summer. His first thoughts were in the direction of, "How could she-?" but as the footage continued, they turned more to "Oh Rogue. What did they make you do?"

Finally the scene ended, and the news reporter came back with more comments on the video and Magneto's message. There was a half-excited, half-nervous hum amongst the students who had gathered to watch that only partially registered with Scott. His mind was reeling. For the X-Men. For Mutants. For Rogue.

It grew almost completely silent before Scott realized that his presence had been discovered among the rest of the students present. He looked at them as they all stared at him, those who had been closest scooting away from him. He realized that what the professor had told him was correct. He did need to be careful and he most certainly needed to stay out of sight.

As he turned away from the crowd and headed back to his room as quickly as he could without running, he heard the whispering begin again. He didn't have to look back to see the pointing fingers, the rumors whispered behind cupped hands. He could only breathe again when he had locked himself in his room.

* * *

As soon as the meeting was adjourned Ororo grabbed Remy and pulled him aside. She had noticed Rogue was the only one missing from the meeting because she had specifically looked for the troubled young woman. Ororo wasn't surprised to her absent and didn't blame her. She probably would have reacted the same way after seeing what had been displayed across TV screens world wide.

"I know you want to go look for Rogue, but I don't think that's a good idea," Ororo whispered, keeping the conversation private.

Remy gave her a burning scowl. "Da girl's hurtin'. Whatever dat was dey showed happened, it hurt her."

"I know and I will go looking for her. I have a feeling she would only push you away," Ororo replied, trying to sound empathetic.

Remy had a reply to this, but Ororo cut him off before he could say anything. "Please, trust me. I know you care for her. We all do. But I…we…have a little more experience with Rogue. We've known her a little longer."

Ororo stopped. She could tell by the look on Remy's face that he had given in. She smiled gently although the young man wasn't looking at her to see it. "Besides," she added lightly, "Xavier has already told me Rogue's exact whereabouts and I'll have an easier time getting there than anyone else."

He was looking at her now and she gave him a wink before heading out after the girl in question. Most of the students had redistributed themselves among the mansion, so her path to the front doors was mostly clear. One throng of the younger students tried to stop her on her way out, wanting to ask more questions, find more comfort. She made an apologetic excuse and moved on.

Once outside she broke into a jog, heading around the mansion to the vast acreage behind the massive building. She passed by a couple of basketball courts, the swimming pool and into the open fields. At the back of the rolling green grass hills the trees got thicker and there were a few benches scattered here as there were among the rest of the estate.

But Rogue was not sitting somewhere so conspicuous as the benches. Ororo moved her gaze up toward the trees where the green leaves were beginning to turn the golden shades of autumn. It took a little bit of searching, but Ororo finally spotted her prey. Not that she had her target in sight, she called upon the winds to carry her up to light upon a branch close to the one Rogue had chosen as her own perch.

The girl didn't run…or fly…away, but she didn't acknowledge Ororo, either. But since Ororo knew the young woman before her, she was relieved at this behavior. She had been afraid that Rogue would run away from her as she had predicted she would have from Remy.

"Rogue, why are you hiding?"

Ororo knew it probably wasn't the best question, but her goal at the moment was to get Rogue talking. She seemed to be in a talkative mood because she answered immediately. Though Ororo didn't have a clear view of Rogue's face, she could tell the young woman had already been crying.

Rogue snorted, "Ain't it obvious with what Magneto just revealed t'the **whole world**."

"We all were exposed in that footage," Ororo replied softly.

"But yo' have nothing t'really be ashamed of," Rogue yelled angrily to the leaves. She refused to look at Ororo.

"Neither do you, Rogue."

"How can they trust muh? After what they say muh do? How could they evah accept muh?"

"You haven't even given them the chance to accept you; to show they trust you. Don't jump to conclusions," Ororo gently chided.

Rogue sniffled, "But what Ah did was so evil. My," she gulped, "my sins were displayed fah all t'see."

"You're judging yourself through everyone's eyes before you've given them a chance to judge for themselves," Ororo kept her voice low and soft. She hoped Rogue could hear her sincerity.

"What do you think?" Rogue asked, a little contemptuously, surprising Ororo with the question.

She hesitated, regaining her composure before she answered, and taking a little time to think about how she wanted to answer. "I think you were cruelly used by uncaring people. I think you were made to do things against your will that you would never have conceived of doing had you been able to act of your choice. What was that thing…that collar you tore from around your neck at the very end?"

"Mystique's way of gettin' muh t'do whatevah she wanted," Rogue's voice was filled with disgust and once again Ororo couldn't blame her.

"You wouldn't have touched that woman if Mystique had not told you to do so, would you?" Ororo asked.

Rogue shook her head. "An' Ah wouldn't've held on fah so long, either." She finally turned to look at Ororo, her already bloodshot eyes welling up with more tears. "I wouldn't've done any of that stuff if Ah'd had a choice."

"I know, Rogue," Ororo assured, placing a hand on Rogue's shoulder.

She cried silently as Ororo put her Mutant powers to use again and floated herself to Rogue, pulling the girl against herself and riding the winds back down to the ground. Rogue held onto her for just a moment longer before pulling away and wiping at her face. Ororo allowed her a moment of composure before they began the walk back to the mansion.

They walked slowly, so that Rogue had time to try to erase the signs of tears and insecurities from her face. They didn't talk. Ororo knew that what needed to be said had been said, and now Rogue just needed a little silence to let Ororo's words really sink into her. The walk was long, but Rogue paused before the front doors. She looked at Ororo again.

"Ya really don't think Ah'm a horrible person fah all the things Ah did?"

Ororo smiled and shook her head. "I've gotten to know you, Rogue, as has everyone else. And I know you better than to think you would do such a thing on your own."

Rogue gave Ororo a rare smile and offered a soft "Thanks" before they entered the mansion together. Ororo wanted to stay with the girl, protect her in case someone here was cruel enough to accuse her. But she knew she needed to let Rogue face them on her own and find out for herself how strong the bonds of friendship had grown.

Although not a very religious person, Rogue said a little prayer, for Ororo and herself, as she headed down the halls of the mansion without Ororo's presence. She didn't quite know where she was going, but somehow she knew if she just let her feet wander they'd take her to her friends. She hoped they were still her friends. Sure enough she could hear a bevy of voices coming from a rec room and as she grew closer could pick out Jean and Kitty and Kurt and Evan.

She hesitated and peered in at them through the slightly cracked door. The whole team was there, even Remy-_what am Ah gonna say t'him?_-and quite a few of the younger students. Getting the sense of déjà vu, Rogue pulled away from the door for a moment and checked her reflection in a mirror hung next to the door. Unless they were really looking at her, they shouldn't be able to tell she'd been crying. She resisted the urge to rub her eyes and nose again, put on a defiant expression, and pushed the door open.

She was quiet and the group was involved in their conversation, no doubt discussing Magneto's confession to the world of the existence of Mutants. Kitty noticed her first, standing up and calling out her name in a surprised voice. Did that mean they were talking about her?

_We were worried about you_ the expression on Jean's face said as Rogue plopped herself down on the arm of the sofa next to the red head. There was an awkward silence for a moment before Evan piped up.

"So what do you think, Rogue?"

"About which part?" maybe her voice had been too biting. Evan winced as if she'd slapped him.

"About any of it," Kitty jumped in.

"Ah-" she shrugged and shook her head. She realized she hadn't thought about it much past the footage that showed her terrible summer.

"Were you really hanging out with the Brotherhood this summer?"

The question came from one of the younger students, Jubilee, and Rogue could see everyone else was as surprised by the question as she was. "Yeah, but, not that Ah wanted t'be," Rogue answered when her shock wore off a little.

The one question, and probably Rogue actually answering it contributed some, helped the rest of the group find their courage to ask Rogue questions about what they'd seen. She looked at them all a little bewildered as they got a little out of control, firing one question at her after another without giving her chance to respond. Of course they would be curious, but…

"Leave her alone, you guys," Jean's voice cut through the barrage of questions sharply, "Rogue's one of us. It doesn't matter what happened. She's back now. Safe with us. There's no need to question her about anything."

The defense came at the right time, just as Rogue was about to get up and leave the room again. She felt Remy's touch on her knee from where he was lounging in a chair set next to the couch. A comforting gesture and he was wise enough not to let it linger too long. Those younger students who had been asking the questions looked around at each other sheepishly, and a little disappointedly. Somehow without speaking they decided as a group to make their exit, leaving the core members of the X-Men alone.

More silence as Rogue hung her head down low, not wanting to look at anyone. Finally she spoke, "Weren't y'all dieing to ask the same questions."

Kitty, the only one Rogue had confided any of the details to, and even then very little, rushed to deny and assure Rogue, but her words died as Jean spoke again, her tone just as strong and confident as when she had scolded the younger mutants.

"Of course, but we're smart enough to know that you'll talk when you're ready. And we hope you're smart enough to know that we're here for you to confide in when you are ready."

Rogue lifted her head to find Remy directly in her line of sight. He grabbed her gaze immediately and she was actually glad that he didn't give a smile of comfort. Instead, he let his eyes do the talking, showing her all the concern and care he had for her through them. She let herself be held by them for a moment before turning to look at the four bunched onto the couch.

"Ah'm sorry…Ah shouldn't have…"

"Like don't worry about it, Rogue," Kitty stopped her.

"Jah, we are used to it by now," Kurt assured.

"We just wished you'd realize what it means when we say we're your friends," Evan added.

"And we are your friends," Jean emphasized, raising her eyebrows at Rogue.

Rogue finally smiled and gave a little laugh. "Thanks, ya'll."


	21. Show me how defenseless you really are

Title: _The House of the Rising Sun_, Chapter 18

Author: Goddess Evie

Date: 11/30/06

Genre: Romance (Remy/Rogue, Scott/Jean, Lance/Kitty), Action, Drama, Angst, AU, heck, it's got it all…just not all in one chapter.

Rating: G, and I really don't think this'll get above PG.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own X-Men of any incarnation. I am but a poor, fanatical, poor, college graduate who much enjoys a show so that she writes extensive (and hopefully intriguing, enjoyable, and highly popular) fanfiction to feed her insatiable hunger for anything X-Men and is poor, if I haven't mentioned that already. Also, the song lyric I used as the title doesn't belong to me either. I'm quoting Breaking Benjamin's "So Cold." But, sadly, I own nothing but the plot so don't sue me cause I need all my money for my bills!

Summary: The world's reactions to finding out that Mutants exist. Well, not the whole world's, just the few people directly connected to our wonderful X-Men. Scott and Andrew finally duke it out. And finally, the truth about Brad!

Author's notes: Yeah! After over a month, another chapter. I thought it was going to be longer than usual, maybe closer to fifteen pages than the usual ten that I aim for per chapter. But Microsoft Word says it's only 11 pages. So, I'm happy. I just wanted to get Brad's confession out no matter what, so if it had been longer I'd have been like, "Oh, well!" Anyways, no Rogue/Remy-ness this chapter either. We're focusing on more broad issues that affect everyone, not specifically on just those two, for now. But don't worry, I'm not done with the angst. Oh no, far from it. cackles and rubs hands together

Review Responses: Only one review to respond to! Maybe that's why it took me so long to post a new chapter this time! More reviews make my feel better and inspire me to write faster!

Ishandahalf: My loyal, Ishie. I know I can always count on you. Thanks for the great review. And aren't you happy I didn't take another year and a half to post the next chapter? Just a whole month! laughs Anyways, sorry that once again I didn't get to stick in any Rogue/Ramy-ness. I'll try to get more in soon. I have so much going on here, soon, that I'm not sure where I'm going to fit in. Wow, I can't believe I just said that. Now, I'm going to do my best to put it in! Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter, along with everyone else who happens to read it.

Chapter 18: "Show me how we end this all right. Show me how defenseless you really are. Satisfy an empty inside."

The phone call Scott had been expecting came much later than he would have liked. But at least it came and hearing Xavier's voice on the other end of the line had taken a lot of the burden off Scott's shoulders and heart. He could breathe that much easier. As they talked the Professor assured Scott that all the students, though shaken, were fine.

He also told Scott that their best move at this time was to act cautiously and carefully. And most importantly act normally. Scott had to agree. It would be best to see the reactions everyone else gave first. Scott was to remain at school unless and until the situation became too risky for him. The ideal situation, of course, would be for him to continue until his education was complete, but at this point they weren't sure if that would be possible.

The last words Xavier said to Scott before they hung up were of caution and assurance. "Scott, stay out of trouble. And remember, you can come home whenever you want."

So, Scott passed that first night tossing and turning in his bed. Sleep seemed to have fled with the security he'd had when no one had known the truth about him. As he lay in his bed he wondered who had believed the footage. He thought of the two young men who had become his friends…and even those friends back in Bayville. Jean, in particular, was a very popular student. How would all her friends react?

It was a long night and when the rest of the floor was quiet, Scott decided he could use a shower. It was probably better to get that done when little to no people would be up and around, anyways. It was nice to have the bathroom to himself, for once, and he allowed the warm water to wash away his thoughts along with the dirt from his body.

The shower, which was entirely too short, and putting on some fresh clean clothes helped make him feel a little better about facing the world. Knowing he wasn't going to get any sleep, Scott decided he could keep his mind from mulling it all over by tackling his homework. It worked up until the point where he finished it all.

He still had half an hour before his first class. He could hear movement outside his door as more and more students rose and prepared for the day. He realized his nerves were on edge, expecting every noise to be the one that heralded the angry mob that dragged him from his room and tarred and feathered him. But when Scott thought about it, he realized his room, his door, had become off limits. There were no knocking or accidental bumps. Any noise he could hear coming from either end of the hallway died down as the people passed his door, and started up again on the other side.

Act normally, Professor Xavier had advised. Well, Scott checked his watch, he had twenty five minutes before his first class and though the walk was only ten minutes, normal for him would be arriving early. So, Scott gathered his books and supplies, placing them neatly into his backpack and checked himself over in his mirror, more in order to give himself a mental pep talk than to check his appearance.

With a deep breath that wasn't as calming or fortifying as he had hoped, Scott unlocked his door and, with only a moment's hesitation, opened it. Everyone who had been standing outside or passing by his door suddenly stopped, including Nathan whose hand was raised to knock. The two looked at each other for a moment, neither knowing exactly what to say.

_Well, this is it_, thought Scott. _Time to find out if he really is a true friend._

"Hey, Nathan, what did you want?" Scott asked, trying to sound as calm and cheerful as usual.

"I-" Nathan was having a hard time finding his words. Perhaps the fact that Scott wasn't acting any different had thrown him. Finally, he found the courage to ask the question that was on everyone's mind. "What they showed on the TV last night, about you and some others being 'Homo Superiors' or what not. Is that all true?"

Scott wanted to pull Nathan into his room and answer his question away from the prying eyes and pricked ears waiting to hear his reply. But, the truth had already been offered to them, with his own face right there in the fray. It was probably going to do no good to try to hide or lie about it to everyone else.

"Yeah, it is," he finally answered, "but we don't go around calling ourselves 'Homo Superiors'."

"Then what do you call yourselves?" Nathan's next question was without hesitation.

Now, Scott was the one verbally tripping. The word they had used to call themselves? It had seemed so innocent, throwing that word around among themselves. But now having to say it in front of these people, he realized that maybe it was just as bad as the one Magneto had used. Still, it was the only thing he had to offer them.

"Mutants," he paused for a moment, catching Nathan's eye and everyone else standing in the hall waiting to hear his answers. He realized more had gathered. "We call ourselves Mutants."

Politely as he could, Scott pushed past Nathan, closing and locking his door behind him. He headed down the hall, people moving out of his way as he went, some quite literally jumping.

"Where are you going?" Nathan called after him.

"I've got class," Scott reminded.

"You're still going to class?"

Scott turned to face his friend; was Nathan still his friend? "I'm still the same Scott I was yesterday." And with that he headed back down the hall, skipping the elevators and taking the stairs instead.

* * *

The anxiety and tension Scott had been feeling was present at the Xavier Institute for Gifted Children times a thousand. As the students dressed and prepared for school the usual carefree chatter was replaced by hushed conversations and sullen silence. Jean, Kitty, Evan, Kurt, Rogue and Remy had been the very first awake, the very first to be dressed and the very first down in the dining room for breakfast. They had decided together that, as nervous and afraid as everyone was, they would set the example for the school, showing that they were willing to follow Xavier's advice.

Still, even their conversation was muted and lacked the usual teasing, laughter, bickering and all around joviality that usual dominated. None of them seemed to have their usual appetites, either. Rogue nursed her coffee with Tabasco, Jean and Kitty split a bagel, neither being able to finish their halves. Kurt toyed with the syrup drenched pancakes on his plate. He had eaten half of what he normally did, which was a regular meal for most people, but considered under eating for Kurt. Evan hadn't really touched his scrambled eggs and had only nibbled on his bacon.

Remy was the only one who had put forth any real effort to eat. Although he hadn't been able to down his normal meal, he knew how important it was to at least have food in the belly. Years of experience pulling high risk heists had let him know that it was better to face a possibly bad day with at least some food in the stomach to give needed strength, then to stumble through weakly without it.

Throughout the morning the younger students began to file in, but it did nothing to change the mood. They were just as somber and apprehensive about the day. And they seemed to be eating as much. The morning seemed to be passing much too slowly with the nervous mood hanging in the air.

And at the same time, it was moving all too fast. When the time to go came, Jean rose from her seat and gathered what little eating utensils she had used to take to the kitchen. Little by little the rest of the student body began to follow suit, chairs scraping and dishes clanking. The younger mutants let their older counterparts lead them to the kitchen to dispose of their used dishware before heading out to the cars.

The ride to school was silent, not even the radio was on. The X-Men team had wordlessly made the decision to drive to the high school in the same vehicle for once, Jean at the steering wheel. Remy had to admit that all the silence and apprehension was getting a little out of hand, but at the same time, with the revelation that had just been made to the world, he couldn't blame them.

"Remember," Jean told them all as they piled out of the car, backpacks slung over their shoulders, "Just act normally."

If it was supposed to be a pep talk, it wasn't a very good one. But then how was one supposed to give confidence that one was having a hard time trying to feel. The response the red head got for her effort was a nod, if she was lucky. Trying to be a good example, Jean put a smile on her face and walked towards the school.

They were only halfway through the parking lot when they saw the large crowd standing in front of the entrance. To either side of it curious students milled about, waiting to see what would happen. But the crowd itself consisted of adults, most likely parents of the children who attended the school, though they could recognize a few of the actual teachers mixed in.

Somebody spotted them coming, and Remy had a bad feeling when the whole crowd seemed to turn towards them at once, every stare boring down on them. Jean took the lead as they neared the crowd, stopping a few feet in front of them, and Remy was glad she had. He certainly wouldn't have volunteered to be in her position.

There was a lot of whispering and pointing from both the crowd and the students hanging around. Jean did a phenomenal job of ignoring it all, keeping a neutral, calm smile on her face as she eyed the crowd. Remy watched as she opened her mouth to say something, but she was cut off before she could get any words out.

"We thought you might show up," one parent stepped from the crowd to say, taking on the role of leader for his own side.

"Trying to act like nothing happened!" an anonymous voice added.

Jean closed her mouth at the comment, pursing her lips for a moment before very calmly replying. "It would be illegal for us not to. We're supposed to be at school, not playing hooky."

Remy had to admit he was surprised at her audacity. Though the comment was true and innocent, there had been something in Jean's delivery, sweet and respectful, that had bordered on insulting.

"You aren't going to school with my kids," another anonymous voice called out. "I don't want them getting hurt." Whoever it was sounded a tad bit on the hysterical side.

"We aren't here to hurt anyone," Jean replied, staying calm, but Remy could hear she strained a little to do so. "If we had wanted to do that, do you think we would have waited to be found out first?"

A logical argument and the crowd of parents didn't seem to have anything to say against it. Still, they didn't move, though some looked unsure. Their chosen leader hadn't stepped down, however, and he seemed to look furious at Jean's logic.

"How do we know you haven't hurt them, already?" he asked, his face growing .

"We haven't and we have no intentions to," Jean's statement was sincere, but the crowd either didn't care or didn't hear.

Random shouts from the crowd concerning their worry over the safety for their children rained down on them. Jean seemed to be holding her patience in check, though just barely. But Kitty, Evan, Kurt, Rogue, and even, he admitted, himself, were starting to become anxious over the outcome of the conversation.

"Why would we waste our powers on their kids, anyways," the sullen remark came, surprisingly enough, from Kitty and had been said only loud enough for the six to hear. It was something Remy would have expected more from Rogue.

_Stay calm_, Jean's voice spoke in his head and Remy assumed she was sending the message to them all. _I've contacted the professor and he and Ororo are on their way_.

"So what do we do?" Rogue asked the question on everyone's mind.

Remy glanced at her. Although her face was a mask of disinterest, her eyes were boiling with emotion, mostly hurt and rage. It was an expression Remy saw in all their eyes and probably could be detected in his as well to some degree.

The leader of the pack must have finally thought up some retort to Jean's statement, because he was speaking again. "We don't intend to give you the chance to hurt the other students at this high school. We saw the things you're capable of. We will not allow you to walk freely among the defenseless children who attend here."

"We are as much students of this school as they are," Jean countered. "And we deserve protection as much as they do. You are assuming that we will freely use our powers, and at the expense of innocent students. But we all believe that our powers should only be used for good, to help others."

"That's not what it looked like from that broadcast," the man insisted. "The fighting. The destruction. That will not happen at our school."

"No, it won't," Jean agreed. She seemed ready to continue with her argument, but a third voice broke in and the relief that entered Jean's entire body was evident.

"We are not aligned with the man who made the very startling declaration about the existence of mutants, and though the images he showed are startling, they are not the whole truth," Xavier's voice was as authoritative and calm as ever. He gave Jean a warm smile for her efforts, than turned a serious face on the parent she had been debating with.

As the two men spoke, Ororo joined the six mutant teens and made sure they were all unharmed. Her eyes roamed over them searchingly as she spoke to them in hushed tones, making sure they had received no damage. When she was satisfied that they were all fine she gave them a look that seemed a little sad.

"You all can go home," she told them, already ushering them back to the car.

"What? But, we've got school!" Kitty objected as Evan was complaining, "Auntie O, they can't do this to us!"

"Shhh," she soothed them, glancing at where Xavier was dealing with the parents. "We need to get this all worked out. We will have you back as soon as we can. Now, please, I need to go check on the other students."

No one could argue with Ororo after that, and hating the feeling that they were giving up too easily, the members of the X-Men climbed back into Jean's car and headed back home. The moment the last door was closed everyone seemed to burst out at once, complaining about the unfairness of it all and in some cases hurling insults at the group of parents who now could not hear them. Rogue and Evan seemed to be competing to see who could devise the worst and most unique insult.

As much as Jean tried to keep it under check, the drive home was noisy, though the atmosphere was just as tense. Everyone had something to say about how the parents had reacted, and there were times in the short drive that everyone seemed to be trying to talk over everyone else whenever an especially controversial point was made.

Everyone, but Remy. Really, he had no idea what to say. Or even if it was the right time to be saying anything. Sometimes you had to let a situation ride out a little bit longer before you passed final judgment. But he at least hoped that the opportunity for the rest to let some steam off would help his companions.

When the six of them arrived back at the mansion, Remy expected at least a few of them to split off on their own. But as if the need to stick together was overwhelming, they all remained together, heading for one of the rec rooms. They were still discussing the situation, but the conversation was more organized, everyone speaking in turn without interrupting another. And the heat from their voices had died down some.

Jean turned the television on and flipped to a news channel, turning the volume down low, but keeping an eye on it. She had refrained from adding much to the conversation either, mostly trying to keep it from getting too out of hand and interjecting with a different point of view when she deemed it necessary.

The other kids arrived home from school a little later and after Ororo had made sure that all were well she headed back out to rejoin the professor. The conversation among the six oldest mutants was still continuing, now fueled by what the news channel was reporting on the revealed existence of mutants. Remy remained the silent listener, mulling over the opinions expressed in his own mind.

Really, it seemed, waiting was all they seemed to have to do at the moment. And rehash opinions and facts that already were getting old and overheard. Someone else seemed to have another idea, however.

"Ya'll suit up and get to the Danger Room," Logan caught them all off guard and as one they groaned. "If ya'll are gonna be hanging around the mansion, might as well put good use to it." He watched them all file out of the room, following his orders.

* * *

News must have spread quickly, because there were a lot of people around campus who were avoiding Scott or giving him unsure and even fearful looks. But he managed to make it to class, where nobody sat by him, and pay attention, despite the teacher having a tendency to glance at him. In fact, that was how every one of his classes went that day. All were wary, many curious as well, but not enough to risk addressing him. No one had spoken to him that day since he'd found Nathan outside his door.

Even when he'd make a quick stop at one of the campus café's to pick up a midday meal, none of the workers had wanted to help him. And he'd stood there ignored while they helped people who had come up to the counter AFTER him, until he coughed and announced that he wanted to place an order. The other two girls behind the counter forced their male associate to deal with Scott, and he had been so nervous he kept making mistakes and looked as if Scott was going to kill him every time he did.

By the time his classes were ended for the day, Scott was sick of it and ready to return to the privacy of his dorm room. Usually he enjoyed taking the long way through the beautiful autumn scenery and cool weather. But today he took the most direct route, just wanting to get away from everyone. It was hard to act normally when no one else around you was.

Halfway through the large field Scott had tossed his Nerf Football around with Nathan and Brad many times, Scott ran into the one person he had dreaded seeing into the most. He always tried to avoid Andrew and his insults and jibes, from the first time they had met. But now Scott wanted an encounter with him less than ever.

Scott spotted Andrew from a ways off, leaning against a tree, a dark expression on his face, and had tried to veer his course to evade the football player. But Andrew was set on having his fun and he moved so that Scott couldn't avoid him.

"I always knew you were a freak, Scott. Guess I just didn't realize how much of one," Andrew jibed haughtily, jogging a bit to stand right in Scott's way.

"Just leave me alone," Scott replied through gritted teeth, avoiding looking at his rival. "You really don't want to mess with me right now."

"Is that a challenge?" Andrew jabbed a finger into Scott's shoulder at the comment.

"Is that what you want it to be?" Scott shot back, finally looking at Andrew, staring into his eyes.

The corners of Andrew's mouth lifted into a smile. "That's what I've wanted it to be from the day I met you. Man, I've wanted to pummel you."

He let a punch fly just as he said the last word, putting into action what he had been voicing and trying to catch Scott off guard. But Scott was too well trained and he ducked, sending his own fist flying into Andrew's stomach. Something at the back of his mind told him that it was the wrong move, but he was too angry to pay attention. He wanted to fight Andrew.

Andrew spun out of the way, trying to catch his breath, and stared at Scott for a moment, obviously surprised at the skill and strength he had displayed. But only for a moment and then he lunged at the mutant. Once again, Scott's training came into play and he grabbed Andrew by his coat, rolling backwards and letting his opponent's moment carry himself over Scott, who let go at the last minute. Andrew flew through the air a short distance and then landed in the grass on his back with a heavy thud that knocked the wind from him.

But Scott was taking no chances. The moment he let go of Andrew he swung his legs up, pulling his body off the ground to his shoulders, then pushed himself to land on his feet, in the classic ninja move. Twirling around to face Andrew, he put his arms up defensively.

But Andrew was laboring to get up off the ground and breathe correctly. Still, the look in Andrew's eyes told Scott that this fight wasn't over. Andrew didn't wait for his breathe to come back, but lunged at Scott with a right jab and a left hook. He seemed to have a little experience in fighting, but still couldn't compare to Scott's intense training in and out of the Danger Room. And for someone who was used to dealing with fists as well as mutant powers, dodging both punches and landing his own on Andrew's jaw, putting his whole body behind his fist, was easy.

The force of the punch sent Andrew sprawling backwards and seeing stars. The football player rubbed his jaw where Scott had hit him and shook his head to try to clear it. He leaned back against the tree that he'd stumbled into and gave to Scott what seemed to be an appreciative look.

"I'm impressed. I didn't think you had it in you," Andrew complimented, though Scott still didn't trust him. And for good reason. Andrew's facial expression turned malicious once again. "But there's more than one way to win a fight."

Scott's face went white as Andrew began to yell out for help. "The Mutant's attacked me!" Scott's breathing caught in his throat, and then once again all his training came to his aid. Knowing it wouldn't be good to stick around-with the situation he was already in, his word against Andrew's probably wasn't going to help him any-Scott grabbed his backpack and ran back to his dorm.

He stopped in the stairwell, halfway to his floor, to catch his breath and threw his backpack to the ground in frustration. How could he have been so stupid? If Andrew acted like nothing more than a high school bully, then he had proven himself to be no better by giving in. He might as well pack his bags and head on back to the institute right now.

With a sigh, Scott picked his bag back up and headed up the stairs once again, this time at a more subdued pace. What he had just done had been stupid, definitely, but he knew he couldn't give up that easily. Besides, he couldn't run away before he took the chance to try to rectify the situation and try to prove that mutants weren't bad.

It was tempting to just head back to the safety of the Xavier Institute, and he was still considering it, but for now he needed to stay put. He dreaded calling the Professor and letting him know what had happened, but knew he'd need to apprise Xavier of what he'd done, no matter how disappointed his mentor would be. Well, this was a fine situation he'd gotten himself into.

The halls of his floor were empty, due to the time of day and even the common area was unoccupied. Scott was glad for that as he was able to make his way to his room in peace. As he shut the door, and locked it for good measure, he leaned back against it and let his back pack slip to the floor. Loudly he exhaled and rubbed his forehead.

His hand hurt from the couple of hits he'd gotten in on Andrew, but he probably deserved that. He looked around and saw that his answering machine was blinking with a new message. He walked over to it and pressed the button to play it, and Jean's voice said she had called to check in on him and make sure everything was okay. Hearing it only increased the guilt he felt for his actions.

He decided to call back later, pushing aside the responsible side of him for once, and looked at the options he had to distract him for a while. There was homework, of course, he'd received a fresh supply today. It would give him something to concentrate on, though a voice in the back of his mind asked if it was really necessary. He probably wouldn't be around long enough to turn it in, anyways. He pushed the thought away and looked to see if there were any other options for a distraction.

He suddenly felt tired and remembered that he had gotten absolutely no sleep the night before. Add the recent expense of energy and Scott decided that what he needed most at the moment was sleep. A good nap and then tackle his homework. His eyelids were already feeling heavy and hard to hold open.

He pulled his sneakers off and laid down on his bed face up. He had learned to sleep on his back, at least when taking a nap, so he wouldn't have to remove his glasses in case he was awakened suddenly. He was almost asleep when he heard a soft rapping on his door. He remained silent, finding it hard to fight off sleep and hoping the intruder would go away. He wasn't in the mood to deal with anybody, at the moment.

The knocking sounded again, this time accompanied by a voice calling his name. He recognized it as Brad's, but it was the fear in it that made Scott open his eyes and sit up. Fear and nervousness, and even though Brad was on the other side of Scott's locked door, Scott sensed the fear wasn't because of Scott.

He moved to the door and carefully opened it. Unlike Nathan, Brad was completely alone, no passersby hanging back to eavesdrop on their conversation. When Scott saw the look on Brad's face, it reminded him of the young boy he had saved from the sewer and wild dog, he was glad he had answered.

"Can I come in?" Brad asked, glancing over his shoulder, then back at Scott.

"Yeah, sure," Scott opened to door wider to admit his friend, then closed it again, locking it once more.

Brad was obviously nervous, but once again Scott had the impression that it wasn't because of Scott, like everyone else. Brad took a seat in the desk chair and Scott sat down on the edge of his bed. Brad was apprehensive to speak, no matter how much he looked like he needed to say something. He fiddled with a pen on Scott's desk before he finally found the courage to look at Scott and say what he needed to say.

"How did you hide it for so long? Being a mutant?" he finally blurted out.

Scott had been expecting the topic to be about his being a mutant, but he didn't understand what relevance the question had. He shrugged as he answered, "It wasn't hard. Just had to come up with an excuse to keep my sunglasses on all the time."

Brad nodded at his answer and took his time to ask the next one. During the nervous silence, Brad picked up the group photo of the Institute family and gazed at it long and hard. He had to recognize many of the faces as being the same ones from Magneto's broadcast the night before, if he had seen it. Brad licked his lips before speaking again. "Does your family know? How…how did they take it?"

"If you mean my biological family, well, they're dead, except for my brother Alex, and he's a mutant ,too," Scott answered.

"The other mutants," he was studying the picture again, "How did their families take it?"

"Well, all were shocked, of course," Scott began, still not sure where this conversation was leading. "Then some are able to accept, others tend to reject the idea, or ignore it, while some disown their mutant offspring outright."

Brad didn't say anything and continued to stare at the picture. He touched Jean's face, then ran a finger along the picture of Rogue in the window sill stuck in one corner of the frame. Scott was still unable to ascertain why Brad was here and asking him these odd questions. And he could tell that Brad's nervousness hadn't been alleviated.

"Brad, why are you asking me these things?" Scott finally queried.

Brad took a sharp intake of breath, then gently placed the frame back on Scott's desk. He closed his eyes and exhaled slowly, then finally looked at Scott.

His voice was shaky as he spoke. "I'm one, too."

As he sat there, wide eyed and slack jawed, Scott wondered if this was what the rest of the world had felt like at finding out about the existence of Mutants. It wasn't that he hadn't expected other mutants to be around. They were popping up all the time, and many times Scott had been on the recruiting team to try and bring them in. But still, for some reason, Brad's revelation had caught him totally off guard.

"I'm a mutant," Brad reiterated when he got no reaction from Scott.

Scott shook off the shock and rubbed his eyes. "Wow…I never expected…"

"Neither of us did."

"Right," Scott agreed.

"So, what do I do?" Brad asked.

"What do you mean?" Scott answered with a question of his own.

"What if they find out?" Brad's voice had the fear back in it.

"Right now they don't know," Scott reminded, soothingly, "And if you're careful, no one may know for a while. You're safe."

Brad nodded, looking less nervous. "I'm glad I'm not in your shoes."

"Thanks," Scott snorted.

"Sorry," Brad replied, but he glanced at Scott with a small smile.

Scott gave a little laugh. "At least I know one person won't be afraid of me."

There was a companionable silence between the two of them for a few moments before Scott carefully asked, "So, what exactly is your power?"

Brad looked a tad bit perplexed at the question, or maybe thrown off, for a second. Then he closed his eyes and was quiet again. Scott thought maybe he was being avoided until he watched as the gorgeous blonde that had distracted Andrew from pummeling him outside the campus book store appeared. She strutted around for the awed Scott before giving him a wink, blowing him a kiss, and promptly disappearing.

Brad opened his eyes, breathing heavily. Scott gave him an impressed look. "Nice."


	22. We are one We are strong

Title: _The House of the Rising Sun_, Chapter 19

Author: Goddess Evie

Date: 01/24/07

Genre: Romance (Remy/Rogue, Scott/Jean, Lance/Kitty), Action, Drama, Angst, AU, heck, it's got it all…just not all in one chapter.

Rating: G, and I really don't think this'll get above PG.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own X-Men of any incarnation. I am but a poor, fanatical, poor, college graduate who much enjoys a show so that she writes extensive (and hopefully intriguing, enjoyable, and highly popular) fanfiction to feed her insatiable hunger for anything X-Men and is poor, if I haven't mentioned that already. Also, the song lyric I used as the title doesn't belong to me either. I'm quoting Creed's "What If" from their CD Human Clay. But, sadly, I own nothing but the plot so don't sue me cause I need all my money for my bills!

Summary: Dealing with the US Government and fellow college students. Warning: Slight Jean/Scott HR! I feel all gross after writing it and it's not even that much! shivers And that's all I'm gonna say so just go read the chapter

Author's notes: I apologize that this took so long to get out. I'm kind of running into a little writer's block. I was hoping to jam pack some major things into this as well as some Remy/Rogue HR, but except for Scott, it just didn't happen. I'm very happy about Kitty's speech. But I wish I could have touched more on where Remy and Rogue stand right now. Hopefully I'll be able to get back to it soon!

Review Responses: Since has now supplied a service to do this, I'll be using that now. And though I haven't responded to Chapter 18's reviews, yet, I'll be doing that ASAP. Hopefully before any reviews for chapter 19 come rolling in. So, see ya'll on the review board.

Chapter 19: _We are one. We are strong. The more you hold us back, the more we press on._

Little by little, the anti-mutant snowball was growing. It started with simple news reports, and concerned parents keeping certain mutants from attending Bayville High and escalated to mobs and news crews frequenting the front gates of the Xavier Mansion wanting to voice their own opinions and prejudices, or hope to catch one of the mutants inside the fancy but very sturdy gate to interview and get his or her opinion and possible prejudice on the situation. A mere three days after the existence of mutants had been revealed by Erik Lensherr, and only two days after the mutants had been kept from attending school, Congress and the Senate was called to a meeting to decide how to deal with the news.

And Ororo Munroe was in the middle of it all. Xavier had appointed her to be the spokeswoman for mutants, or at least those at the Mansion, the moment they had caught wind of the Congress' and Senate's meetings. That had been only two days ago, and already Ororo was more exhausted and frustrated then she had ever been in her entire life. Before she had actually begun, she had thought the traveling would be the worst of it, even with the mansion's technologically advanced modes of transportation. But in all actuality, the traveling was the most enjoyable part. Even after only one day, she found the quiet, peaceful trip back and forth from Washington D.C. was much more desirable to the easily enraged, often chaotic Congressmen and Senators.

Not a single one of them liked to listen to logic or sense. And far from the first time Ororo wondered why she had been chosen to handle these meetings. It seemed every last one of them already had their minds made up concerning the mutants. And it looked like more were against the mutants, than for.

The students were keeping up on what was happening through the myriad of news channels that were keeping a 24 hour coverage on the proceedings. When they weren't actually showing live coverage, or rerunning the most dramatic parts countless times, the anchors were all discussing the event, reading their opinions and analysis from their pre-typed scripts.

Usually when the anchors were droning on like that, the students were having their own discussions. The older of the students kept the debates and discussion to a friendly level when the younger students got out of control. And they helped to keep everything in perspective and stop anyone from developing tunnel vision. And Logan stepped in often enough to pull a group away for a Danger Room session. He figured if they were home, they could use the time to practice, and they didn't need to spend all their time in front of the TV.

Xavier held regular meetings, as well. He too wanted to keep an eye on how opinions were being formed among his students. And to give what little information he himself could that the news channels were withholding. He also kept them updated on when or if they would be likely to return to school. With Ororo doing her best to handle the situation at the nation's capital, Xavier was doing his best to handle the situation right there in Bayville where they were the most directly affected. He was having as slow a time of it as Ororo.

The crowd around the TV began to diminish as old arguments were brought up over and over again and the congressmen and senators began to repeat themselves and their statements a little too much. It seemed Ororo wasn't getting through to them, and no matter what she said, they were going to cling to arguments that had been shot down time and time again.

But Ororo was not to be underestimated, by either the politicians or the students at the Xavier Academy. A mere five days after the meetings in the Senate and Congress had begun to grow stale, Ororo invited a couple of students to accompany her. She chose them secretly, not letting them know they would be joining her until an hour before she needed to leave for the next meeting. Robert Drake and Katherine Pryde had just enough time to get dressed appropriately to appear before the government officials before they left.

When they returned from Washington, they let everyone know that was exactly what Ororo had had in mind. She had wanted their statements to be sincere, from the heart. Not a coached speech someone had given them to make. By letting them know at the last moment that they would be joining her, none of the other students, or even Ororo and the adults themselves, had had time to give suggestions and offer their own opinions. So, what Kitty and Bobby had said had been truly from them.

Once again, the whole of the student body had been planted around one of the big screen TVs in the largest rec room the Mansion held. Bobby went first, obviously nervous and in awe of his current whereabouts. He kind of stuttered through what he wanted to say, his usual cocky confidence missing. But his words rang with his sincerity, and even in his anxiety and youthfulness, he managed to say a few things that were deeper than even his own housemates thought him capable of.

Kitty, speaking second after a few remarks from Ororo, handled herself much better, despite being obviously as nervous as Bobby. Perhaps it was a combination of all the training she had been put through to handle high risk situations, as well as being in high risk situations, though vastly different from the one she now found herself in, and having to act in them. Whatever it was, her voice was steady and strong, her eyes sparkled with determination and passion, and she dared to meet the gaze of every man and woman seated around her.

"My name is Katherine Pryde. I'm fifteen. I'm an only child of my parents and a mutant. When my powers first manifested, I was scared. I didn't know what was happening. My parents sure didn't have the answers. I didn't know what to do. I happen to have the ability to…well, to put it simply, to move through solid objects."

She paused to demonstrate, phasing her hand straight through the microphone a few times.

"Like any mutant, when my powers first came into being, I had little control over them. I would fall asleep in my bed at night and wake up in the morning in my basement, with no idea how I got there. At first my parents and I attributed it to sleep walking." She paused for effect, catching as many gazes as she could, her confidence increasing with every word she spoke. "But one morning I woke up to see my pillow and a blanket hanging from the ceiling, actually in the ceiling. They were sticking up through the living room carpet upstairs, as well. Sleep walking didn't explain that."

Hands began to go up, people wanting to ask questions. But Kitty was determined to have her say, and back at the X-Mansion her peers and friends were all silently cheering her on.

"It wasn't until Professor Charles Xavier arrived at my home with his explanation of the mutant gene that things began to finally make sense. It was hard to believe, at first. Like someone telling me I had magic powers or something. But the evidence was hard to ignore and finally my parents and I came to the decision that it would be best to send me off with Xavier to attend his school for mutants.

"It was the best thing that ever happened to me. I learned to control my power, so that I wasn't accidentally phasing through things anymore. I could turn off my power, or turn it on, as I needed it. It no longer became a random act, but something under my control. But Xavier gave me more than that. He instilled in me, as he tries to do with every student who attends his school, the responsibility that comes with having such a power. And the knowledge that it must be used for benefit, not for greedy gain. Our mutant powers need to be used to build, not to destroy. To heal, not to harm. It is something I firmly believe in. Something I live by.

"I didn't ask to be a mutant. None of us did. I know mutants who would willingly give up their powers if they had the choice. But we don't. So we're trying to make the best of it. And at least those of us who attend Professor Xavier's school are trying to use our powers for good…as clichéd as that sounds."

Hands were up everywhere, and a quick camera shot of Ororo showed that she desperately wanted to step in and take over again. But Kitty stayed at the podium, and pointed to one of the politicians before her.

"The powers you mutants have are both great and terrible. For instance, you could walk into a bank and take all the money without a second thought, and what would stop you?"

A murmur went through the room at that moment. A murmur that was a mighty roar from the amount of people who occupied the room. But Kitty merely leaned in closer to the microphone, and spoke loudly and clearly as she gave her answer, which quickly quieted the room.

"My morals. Not only those taught to me by Professor Xavier. Even before finding out I had these powers, my parents were raising me to be a good, upstanding citizen. Had my powers not manifested, you could have given me a gun, and I could make the same choice to rob the bank. Or I could use that gun according to the rules and regulations that come with owning a gun, and never hurt a single soul."

"And that's a very important point, Miss Pryde," a middle-aged male politician spoke up. "Guns have rules and regulations that govern how we use them. But you mutants have none. You are walking around freely with nothing to keep you from using your powers however you want."

The room erupted into chaos again, but this time Kitty was unable to regain her control. Whatever she was saying into the microphone was unheard and finally Ororo pulled her away and directed her to where Bobby was waiting.

Both of the teens were welcomed home as heroes for what they had done. And both tried to play off the admiration they were getting from their teammates. It wasn't until Kitty had a moment alone with the core X-Men team that a little more of the truth came out.

"I was like so scared," she told them. " I totally had no idea what I was going to say when I got up there. My mind was on overload trying to think of anything."

"You did really well," Jean told her. "You gave them some things to think about that they hadn't heard before. And you restated some things they had heard before in a different light to make them rethink it."

"You had zhem completely hypnotized," Kurt added proudly.

"You had US hypnotized," Evan added to that.

" I just hope what I said got through to some of them," Kitty sighed.

"I think ya did," Rogue told her. "Like Jean said, you gave them some powahful things ta think about."

The next day brought more good news. Xavier called the students together to let them know that they would be allowed to return to school. He also cautioned them that they needed to be on their best behavior because now they would be in the public eye and closely scrutinized for any perceived mistakes they might make. Most of all, they were absolutely NOT to use their powers. They needed to gain the trust of the non-mutant community, and they wouldn't do that with blatant and possibly dangerous shows of their mutant abilities.

The students of the Xavier Institute went to bed that night feeling the best they had all week.

* * *

Scott kept an eye on the proceedings at the capitol late at night when all the other students were in bed or at least too busy studying to be watching TV. With the big screen in the common area turned down low, Scott watched as Ororo debated and argued and spoke with the Congressmen and Senator's gathered before her. Mostly he found it disheartening, the way the government officials didn't seem to be hearing a word she was saying. But he watched and rooted for her, even though the clips he saw were reruns of what had already been said that day.

But the day he watched Bobby and Kitty in front of all those important men and women, Scott managed to catch it live and was grateful for the opportunity. He was just coming in from his last class, quietly heading to his own dorm room, when he heard a comment about some real live mutants joining the discussions for the day. His interest was piqued and he couldn't help stepping up to the back of the crowd to find out what was going on the same way he had watched Magneto's broadcast.

As he watched Bobby nervously address the large crowd in front of him, Scott wished he could be there to give him and hug and tell him he had done a fantastic job. But Kitty had really stolen the show. And she couldn't have given her little speech better if Xavier had written it for her. Scott stood smiling proudly at the way both handled themselves.

This time Scott ignored the reaction he received when the students around him realized he was there. They seemed to be a little more mixed, after Kitty's and Bobby's words, some still obviously wary, but others seeming to look at him in a different light. Still, what had just happened had been phenomenal, and Scott wasn't going to let anything ruin his mood.

Although some of the students looked like they wanted to ask him a few questions, nobody opened their mouths and Scott headed back to his dorm room still grinning. He would have to remember to tell Kitty and Bobby what a great job they had both done when he next got the opportunity to talk to them. Scott didn't allow anything to shake his smile for the rest of the night as he worked on homework, went to the cafeteria for some food and finally went to bed. It was the best night's sleep he had received since Magneto's broadcast.

It was too good to last.

The next morning things seemed to be going as well. He went to his first class, didn't feel so much like he was being constantly stared at and analyzed, and actually maybe managed to enjoy the lecture the teacher gave. Afterwards, with some time before his next class, he decided to find a little niche to whole up in and review the notes he had just taken. He opted for the library, since it was on the way to his next class, and left the building to head there.

The sidewalks were filled with students who were also heading for their next classes or who didn't have a class again immediately and just needed to find something to do to kill time. Maybe they were getting used to his presence, if not accepting it yet, and none of the people were jumping to get out of his way or making the extra effort to avoid him. It was looking like it was going to be a pretty good day.

"Hey, mutant, you don't belong here!"

Scott spun around to find who had yelled the insult, but in the crowd it was impossible to tell. Everyone within hearing distance had stopped, and all of them were now looking at him, watching him. The relaxed feeling he had been enjoying the whole day was gone to be replaced with a sense of, well, not exactly doom, but that uneasy feeling he got sometimes on missions with the team when he just knew something bad was about to happen. He called it his leader sense. Something wet hit his shoulder and Scott looked to see a soda bottle lying on the ground on its side, spilling out what was left of its contents. Again his eyes searched the crowd through ruby lenses, but he couldn't find the perpetrator.

"That's right! Go away! No one wants you here!"

The second voice was not the same as the first one. Something new hit Scott's backpack, and he whirled around desperately hoping to catch the person who had thrown it. He didn't even care what the object was this time. What really mattered was finding who had purposely thrown it at him. But it was impossible.

More insults were being yelled at him, the crowd finding courage in the two that had already been shouted. Out of the corner of his eye Scott saw another projectile heading his way. Reflex took over for a moment and he spun to face the object flying through the air, his hand coming to his sunglasses to blast the thing out of the sky. He stopped himself at the last minute, though he wasn't sure why, and instead raised both arms to shield his head and face.

They seemed to sense what had just happened, even if they didn't know exactly what it was, and now objects of all shapes and sizes were being hurled at him along with the barrage of insults. As much as he hated to admit it, retreat was the best option at this point. Keeping his head shielded with his arms, Scott broke into a run, heading in the direction of his dorm.

A few people tried to stop him from leaving, but he pushed his way through and kept running when he left the edge of the crowd and found open space. Some projectiles were lobbed at him even after he had broken free of the crowd, but they landed harmlessly around him. He could hear the angry cries even after he turned a corner and couldn't see the mob anymore.

Scott didn't stop running until he was safely back in his dorm room. Leaning against his door, panting heavily, his backpack at his feet, Scott looked around his little sanctuary, and for the first time since this whole thing had started, wondered if he would be able to hide here for much longer.

"I can't stay here anymore," he decided aloud.

And once the decision had been made he began to pack up his belongings. He changed his shirt and then stuffed all his clothes into the duffel bags they had come packed in. His belongings he stuffed haphazardly into the boxes and bags he had saved from when he had moved in. He ignored non-necessities and stuck to those things that were really valuable and that he couldn't leave without.

Halfway through his packing process, there was a loud banging at his door. Scott froze, wishing he was psychic like Jean or the Professor so he could know if the person on the other side was friend or foe. The banging continued, but was accompanied this time by Brad's worried voice. Breathing a sigh of relief, Scott let his friend in, locking the door again behind him.

"Scott, I heard what happened man. I can't believe it. That's just not right!"

Brad ended his tirade abruptly, looking around at the mess Scott's room had become in his hasty packing.

"You're leaving," Brad stated, sounding a little dazed.

"Yeah," Scott replied. "It's probably not safe for me to stay here. Not after what happened."

"Come on, aren't you even going to fight back?" Brad asked desperately.

"These people have already decided I'm unwanted and possibly dangerous. Fighting back would only prove that to them more so. No, it's better if I just leave," Scott reasoned.

Brad was silent at that, and Scott began placing some of his things into a box, a little more slowly and carefully now. He heard Brad sigh.

"Then I'm coming with you," Brad informed.

Scott looked at Brad again, his eyes wide although Brad wouldn't be able to tell behind the ruby glasses. "Why? Brad, nobody knows that you're a mutant. And right now, they're not likely to find out."

"But they could," Brad replied. "And when they'll probably do the same thing to me that they did to you!"

"But what about school? Classes? What will you tell your parents? Brad, this really isn't a good idea. Think this through!"

Brad shook his head. "You have a haven to go to, Scott. This Xavier Institute. I don't. My parents don't know that I'm a mutant and I don't know how they're going to react when they do find out. What if they reject me? Then what do I do? Where do I go? No, it's better if I just go with you, now."

"You don't have to come with me, now, for Xavier to accept you. You could stay here and keep living a normal life. Then one day if your mutant status does become public knowledge, Xavier will be more than glad to let you come to Institute. He won't turn you away," Scott assured.

But Brad was hearing none of it. "I'm coming now. There's no point in just waiting for them to find out what I am. I'm going with you."

Scott knew Brad was determined, and having exhausted all his arguments, he merely shrugged his shoulders at his friend. "Alright, if you're dead set on it. Be ready to go in an hour."

Brad nodded and left. Scott ran a hand through his hair and looked at the packing he still had to do. With a glance at the door for Brad, he returned to the job at hand.

An hour later he and Brad were putting the last of their boxes into Scott's red sports car. Brad and Nathan had coveted the car since the first time he had shown it to them. Both had begged to drive it, but all Scott would consent to was to drive them to the movies or a local restaurant. Scott wished this could be one of those times when Brad was admiring and begging to drive the beautiful car instead of the somber moment it was.

"Well, let's go," Scott said, opening the driver's side door and getting in.

Brad got in beside him and Scott turned on the ignition. Just as he was about to shift into drive and pull away, a hand landed on his shoulder and he looked up to see Nathan staring down at him. They looked at each other in silence for several minutes. Finally, Nathan patted Scott's shoulder.

"Hey, good luck, man," he said before stepping back from the car.

Feeling like this was the last time he'd see Nathan, Scott nodded at him and gave him a little salute before he pulled away.

* * *

It was evening and almost completely dark by the time Scott pulled up to the mansion gates. Xavier had already sensed him coming and had let him know that during the daylight hours the gates were usually crowded with reporters and news teams, but that with nightfall they had retreated and it was safe for him to come through.

The gate opened automatically for him and Scott heaved a sigh of relief at the familiar sight of the mansion lit up before him in the evening twilight. He glanced at Brad and smiled to see the awe apparent on his friend's face.

"This is where you live?" he asked breathlessly.

"Yeah, the picture didn't really do it justice with all the little hooligans in front blocking the view," Scott joked, glad for the lighter mood.

Now Brad was smiling, too. Scott navigated the circular driveway with long practiced ease, coming to a stop in front of the large double doors that were the entrance to the mansion just as they were opening to reveal Ororo, Hank, and Xavier himself. The entire student body of the mansion seemed to have turned out to welcome Scott home, as well.

Scott's smile grew as he climbed out of his car and headed around it to greet his family. Ororo and Hank reached him first, and then kids patting him on the back and hugging him and raucously welcoming him home surrounded him. He returned the hugs and well wishes as best he could amid the chaos, before gently detaching himself from the group and jogging up the stairs to where Xavier was waiting.

They greeted each other with a firm handshake that was as good as a hug. "I am glad to have you home again, Scott. Although, I wish it were under better circumstances," the Professors voice and smile were both warm.

"Yeah, well, I've only been gone a few weeks and already I'm a college dropout," he joked.

"Do not worry about your education. We will make sure you get it," Xavier assured. "Now, introduce us to your friend."

Scott turned to where Brad was standing against the passenger door, surrounded by the overly excited junior X-Men and looking very unsure of himself. He gave Scott a "help me" look and laughing Scott waved him over. Ororo and Hank wrangled the kids back so that Brad could make his way through and up the stairs to join Scott and Xavier. Scott introduced Brad as Xavier shook hands with the young man.

"We welcome you to the Xavier Institute and ask you to please make yourself at home. You and Scott should both go unpack. Hank will help you find a room, Brad. Then you and I can meet later to talk about your abilities," Xavier invited.

Brad politely thanked Xavier and then both young men turned back to begin unpacking the car. With the help of the kids standing around, their boxes were carried to their room in no time. Scott shooed the kids away finally so he could unpack in peace, turning down any offers to help. In the ensuing silence he took a moment to look around his room, glad to be back home. And this was really home. It would always be home. Smiling bigger than he had since he had left for college, Scott began to unpack and try to reorganize the mess he had made of his possessions with his rushed packing job.

He was interrupted again not far into his unpacking. Kurt _bamfed_ into his room, bringing with him the acrid smell of brimstone, and Kitty phased through the door seconds after, both attacking him in a hug. The door flew open after that to admit Evan who joined Kitty and Kurt. Logan stuck his head in for a moment to growl a greeting and then was gone again before Scott could even acknowledge him.

"You know, we would have been here earlier if it wasn't for Logan," Kitty complained. Xavier let us all know you had arrived, but we were in the middle of a Danger Room session."

"He vouldn't let us leave before it vas over!" Kurt added his own complaint.

At that moment Jean and Rogue appeared in his doorway, standing next to each other and both looking like angels. Kurt, Evan and Kitty stepped away, grinning like fools and Jean gracefully moved forward, wrapping her arms around Scott and leaning against him. He hugged her back tightly, pressing his cheek against her red hair.

"I missed you," she whispered.

"I missed you, too," he assured.

Jean pulled back to look him in the eyes, or at least to look in his face. Her smile alone seemed to lift all his doubts and insecurities. With Jean at his side again, he felt like he could face anything. She gave his arms a squeeze and then stepped to the side to once again reveal Rogue standing in the doorway. She wasn't alone, but Scott didn't recognize the guy standing next to her and at the moment didn't pay him much attention.

Scott held out his arms to her, and she only hesitated a moment before moving into the hug. Shorter than Jean, her head rested against one of his shoulders and he held her as tightly as he had held Jean.

"I'm so glad you're back. We were all so worried about you. I wish I could have been there on that day," he told her.

"Wasn't nothin' spectacular, Ah assure you," she said in her sarcastic way as she stepped back again, adding, "Welcome home."

Scott looked at his friends all gathered in his room. No, they were his family. Speechless for the moment, he stood watching them as they all chattered happily about things that had happened at the mansion. Except for Rogue who retreated a bit to lean against the wall by the door. Scott didn't worry, though. That was just how Rogue was. And at least she was sticking around instead of immediately exiting.

"Scott, we haven't introduced you to the newest member of the X-Men," Jean suddenly spoke up, taking Scott by the arm and pivoting him to face the door where the mysterious guy was still standing and talking to Rogue.

Scott didn't like him just by looking at him. His scruffy unkempt appearance, devil may care expression and the way he was looking at Rogue all summed up to Scott not sure if he trusted this new comer.

"This is Remy LeBeau. Codename: Gambit," Kitty introduced.

"Remy," Scott held out his hand.

"Monsieur," Remy replied, taking it only long enough to give it a good squeeze.

"Remy, this is Scott Summers. The leader of the X-Men," Jean introduced Scott in turn.

"I run a tight ship around here," Scott added, a little bit of warning in his tone.

"Den I'll have fun loosening t'ings up 'round here," Remy replied with a smirk. "Now, if y'all excuse moi."

He exited with a bow and a flourish and wink in Rogue's direction. She merely rolled her eyes in reply. Scott raised his eyebrows at the show.

"He's really pretty good," Jean spoke up to defend right away. "Even if he is a little different than what the X-Men are used to."

"We'll see," was all Scott would allow. "Hey, I'm gonna go check on Brad. You guys want to come along and meet him?"

The gang was all for it and they moved down the hall together to where Brad had been situated. Scott knocked on the open door as he stepped into the room, his teammates crowding around behind him.

"Hey, I brought some more people for you to meet," he greeted cheerily.

Brad looked up from where he was unpacking his own boxes and bags, his smile still a little unwary. The six of them piled into the smallish room and Scott introduced them in turn, each of them greeting Brad politely, even Rogue who managed a smile for Scott's friend.

"Scott's told me a lot about you guys," Brad replied, relaxing as the X-Men laughed and talked and joked like regular teens.

They stayed for a few more minutes before Scott herded them all out so Brad could finish unpacking. Brad winked at Scott just as Jean was walking through the doorway and Scott rolled his eyes in reply. Scott promised to come back for Brad later so they could get some food. As he headed to his room to get back to his own unpacking, Scott could hear Kitty gushing about how hot Brad was, "And he's a COLLEGE student!" and laughed to himself.

It was good to be home.


	23. Something's gotta go wrong

Title: _The House of the Rising Sun_, Chapter 20

Author: Goddess Evie

Date: 07/04/09

Genre: Romance (Remy/Rogue, Scott/Jean, Lance/Kitty), Action, Drama, Angst, AU, heck, it's got it all…just not all in one chapter.

Rating: G, and I really don't think this'll get above PG.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own X-Men of any incarnation. I am but a poor, fanatical, poor, English teacher who much enjoys a show so that she writes extensive (and hopefully intriguing, enjoyable, and highly popular) fanfiction to feed her insatiable hunger for anything X-Men and is poor, if I haven't mentioned that already. Also, the song lyric I used as the title doesn't belong to me either. I'm quoting Nickelback's "Feelin' Way Too Damn Good". But, sadly, I own nothing but the plot so don't sue me cause I need all my money for my bills!

Summary: The Mutants return to Bayville High!

Chapter 20: _Well something's gotta go wrong 'cause I'm feelin' way too damn good._

The next day dawned bright and early, much more bright and early than the mutants at Xavier's Institute had been use to dealing with. It was a school morning, and since the mutants had been cleared to return to Bayville High, everyone was up and dashing around trying to get ready. It felt like the first day back to school after the end of summer vacation all over again, even though the mutants had been banned from attending school for less than two weeks. Bobby couldn't seem to find a clean pair of socks; Kitty couldn't decide what to wear and was enlisting the help of any female she could get near her closet, including Ororo; Jubilee and Amara were complaining about the bathroom being tied up; Evan and Kurt were trying to start a food fight in the dining room without being caught by Hank; and multiple Jamies were running around adding to the general chaos of the morning.

The core X-Men team had been up earlier than the rest of the house for a Danger Room session with Logan, who had wanted to start reintegrating Scott into the team immediately. Since no amount of moaning and groaning ever softened Logan's heart – if he had one, which Kurt and Evan were staunchly claiming that he didn't – and usually only managed to make his training sessions more miserable, the now seven members of the team held off groaning about the early hour until after they were done and could assure the younger mutants how easy they had it.

Still, despite the rush and Kurt's and Evan's best attempts to turn the breakfast table into a battlefield, all the mutants got off to school on time. Scott volunteered to drive some of the students, and Kurt and Evan jumped in the back seat before anyone else could claim the seats, though not without a "no funny stuff" look from Scott. Gambit was standing nearby, admiring the car, though making no move to claim the empty passenger seat, and Scott was glad of it. He still wasn't entirely sure about this addition to the team and he sure didn't want the Cajun riding in his car.

Usually Scott would have saved the last seat for Jean, but she had to drive the second car that was necessary for getting all the Institute Students to the high school. Scott saw Kitty coming up behind Gambit, her eye on the empty passenger seat, but Rogue appeared almost out of nowhere and gracefully hopped into the passenger, literally. She hadn't even bothered to open the door. Scott had managed to hide the wince that had been his automatic reaction, not that Rogue would have cared if she'd seen it. Kitty glowered for a moment, then rolled her eyes and headed for the SUV that Jean was responsible for driving.

Remy, on the other hand, sauntered up to the already full car, where Rogue was checking her make-up in the vanity mirror on the back of the sun visor. Kurt and Evan were wearing grins as they watched him approach, but neither said anything. Remy leaned on the door of the car and let his eyes roll unashamedly, but gentlemanly, over Rogue's form.

"Sorry, swamp rat, no room," Rogue drawled without looking away from the mirror.

Remy let a variety of answers roll around his brain before he decided which one to respond with. "Dat's why I was wond'ring why you chose to ride in dis car 'stead of where you could ride wit' Remy."

Scott was watching from where he was standing by the driver's side-Remy could feel his protective glare even through the Ruby glasses-and he shifted and folded his arms across his chest to remind Remy that he was still there. Remy ignored him with finesse and smiled at Rogue.

Rogue still didn't look at him, nor did she reply right away. She took the time to finish checking her appearance in the mirror before flipping the visor back up and finally turning her gaze to Remy. "Now, why d'ya always assume that Ah make all muh decisions based on yo'?" She lifted one perfectly arched eyebrow at him.

"Cause I know you can't get yo' mind off'a me," Remy returned confidently, grinning the kind of smile that made most girls melt and giggle.

It had no effect on Rogue, which was exactly why Remy loved her so much. Scott sighed audibly and climbed into the driver's seat, loudly slamming the car, which he would usually never have down and would have yelled at anyone else who'd done it. Neither of the southern mutants showed that it affected them, nor did they show that they noticed when he turned the ignition.

"An' that's exactly why Ah'm ridin' with Scott," Rogue said.

Remy had to jump back as Scott gunned the engine and then suddenly took off. He was grinning as he yelled, "Yo' didn't deny dat I'm always on yo' mind!"

* * *

Despite the banter between Rogue and Remy, the car ride to school, short as it was, was still quiet and just a little bit tense. The encounter they'd had the last time they'd tried to go to school was still fresh in everyone's mind. Scott kept glancing at Rogue who stared out the windshield as if seeing nothing of the scenery that they passed and wished that Kurt or Evan would say something funny, or even annoying that would set Rogue off. Scott would rather have the three fighting than sitting in stony silence.

Chewing his lip as he navigated the streets of Bayville with Jean close behind, Scott said the first thing that came to mind, "So, your new abilities are pretty powerful."

The only response Scott got from Rogue was a withering glance from the corner of her eyes. Checking his rearview mirror, he saw Kurt and Evan both shaking their heads at him. Scott sighed. He'd thought it would have been the safest subject. She'd used her newly gained abilities with some skill in the danger room, although it was obvious she was still getting used to having super strength. Then again, she had seemed hesitant to use them at all. There were a couple of small instances during the morning session where Scott now realized she'd needed a little extra encouragement to get moving.

"So, that Remy's kind of annoying, isn't he?" he next asked, lost as to what else to talk about, but wanting to give it another try.

This time Rogue just shrugged. Not the reaction Scott had been expecting after being witness to their brief exchange.

"He's okay," was the only comment she would give.

Evan and Kurt had comments of their own to share.

"You love him, admit it Rogue!"

"He vas right zhat you didn't deny thinking about him all zhe time!"

"Have the two of you set a wedding date, yet?"

"Vhat are you going to name your first child?"

"You know you want to make-out with him!"

"ENOUGH!"

Rogue had been rolling her eyes at the barrage of comments from the back seat, but they shut up when she roared at them. Kurt and Evan were masters of pushing buttons and crossing lines, but even they knew when they had gone too far. And they had learned that with Rogue especially it was best to leave things be when they did.

The previous uncomfortable silence was now awkward and tense and Scott was wishing he had just kept his mouth shut. He always seemed to forget that when it came to Rogue, it was best to let her start the talking than try to start a conversation, especially where her sensitive subjects were concerned. Scott had broken that golden rule once again.

Luckily, they were pulling up to Bayville High. Rogue hopped out the exact same way she had hopped in (she had to be using her power of flight), but when Evan and Kurt tried it, Scott yelled at them to use the door. Scott climbed out even though he wasn't here to stay and the four lingered around the sports car, waiting for Jean to park and the rest of the students from the institute to join them.

There was no mob of concerned parents like there had been last time, but it was obvious that the students were giving the foursome a wide berth and casting wary glances their way-at least most of the students. Scott raised his chin and met Duncan's gaze at he approached with a couple of fellow football players.

_Great. I never get a rest, do I?_ he sighed mentally.

"Summers. I see they kicked you out of college and back to high school, not that you fit in here, either."

Duncan was just as cocky as Scott remembered, and Scott wished he could punch him in the jaw like he had with Andrew. He rubbed a fist as he thought about how good it would feel.

At the moment that it seemed like Duncan was about to throw another insult Scott's way, Jean appeared and suddenly the football player was all smiles. He held out his arms for the red head and placed his hands on her shoulders as she came near. Scott could tell that she was cautious as she approached him, but Duncan eased any fears she may have had with his next words.

"I'm sorry I haven't called since you got kicked out of school. My mom wouldn't let me. She's afraid you were gonna do something to hurt me, no matter how harmless I told her you were, but I'm glad to see you're all right." He finished by giving her a soft peck on the mouth.

Scott turned away angrily and refused to watch as Jean smiled and let Duncan pull her against his side and walk away with her. As surprised as he was by everyone else that Duncan hadn't decided to shun Jean for being outed as a mutant, he still couldn't believe that she continued to date him, or even give him the time of day. It never failed to amaze him that a telepath could persistently not see a person for who he really was.

Despite his anger, Scott was pulled from his thoughts on Jean and Duncan as the rest of the mutants from the SUV joined them. Scott noticed many of the non-mutant students move away without trying to mask what they were doing. It was obvious they were afraid and unsure now that they knew who the X-Men really were. Some of the younger mutants who were newly freshman this year were looking just as afraid and unsure of the reaction they were getting from their non-mutant counterparts. Unconsciously, Scott stood up straighter, squaring his shoulders and lifting his chin, the leader in him coming out in response to seeing his crestfallen team. If ever they needed a pep talk, it was now.

"Hey, guys, just remember what Professor Xavier told us," Scott began before he was interrupted.

"I don't like that you have been permitted to be here. Believe you me, I fought very hard to keep you monsters out of my school." Principal Kelly was standing before the group, an untrusting look on his face. "However, since I have to let you in, I want you to know that you will be closely watched. I will NOT allow you to cause damage to this school or injury to these students."

"Principal Kelly," Kitty stepped right up to him, and the rest of the Institute students were suddenly reminded of the way she had faced all those congressman, "I can assure you that none of us intend to do either of those things, and let me remind you that like every other US citizen, we are innocent until we are proven guilty. So, we would appreciate it if you would stop treating us like criminals since we haven't done anything wrong."

With that, Kitty turned her nose up at the principal, turned on her heel, and stalked away, her head held high. Kurt and Evan sent up a whoop of triumph and they and most of the mutants immediately followed her, cheering her as they went. Only Scott, Remy and Rogue were left standing around.

And Principal Kelly, who was standing shell-shocked by Kitty's remarks. It took him a moment to remember himself, and when he did he glared at the three remaining mutants as if to remind them of his warning and then marched back into the front doors of Bayville high. Rogue actually laughed at him, though only loudly enough for Remy and Scott to hear and Scott just barely heard Remy appreciatively comment, "Never new petit 'ad so much fire in her," as he looked towards where she'd left with the rest of the mutants.

Scott wished he could stay and participate in this fight with the rest of his teammates. He longed to give them the moral support they would need to stand up against those who feared them only because they refused to take the time to understand them - and unfortunately they would be surrounded by them all day long. But they were going to have to face this struggle without him.

Remy put a hand to the small of Rogue's back and started to lead her away, but she shrugged away from him, and, almost as if she had read Scott's mind, turned to face the leader of the X-Men, smiled one of her rare smiles, said to him, "We'll be fahn," and then turned and walked with Remy towards the school.

Nodding to himself, Scott climbed back into his car and drove away.

* * *

_Lunchtime, finally_, Rogue thought as the bell rang signaling the end of the period and the rest of the class rushed out the door. Rogue always lingered at the end of classes, waiting for her classmates to leave and putting off joining them in the always crowded halls. However, she wasn't used to getting nervous glances and suggestive glares from her Algebra teacher, and Rogue scurried out of the classroom a little more quickly than she used to before everyone found out that she was a mutant.

Remy was waiting at her locker as usual. _When did that become an "as usual"? _she mentally asked herself, but then blew the question off as he pulled her locker door open for her, took the stack of books and notebooks out her arms and placed them inside the locker, and replaced them with her brown bag lunch. Rogue had yelled at him the first time he'd showed that he could open her locker without her being there, and had continued to yell for two weeks after, but he'd never stopped. And since yelling turned out to be useless and was getting tiresome (and since he'd never actually stolen anything out of her locker, or –worse – tried filling it with something romantically clichéd like rose petals or conversation hearts or daily love letters from a "secret" admirer) she'd eventually let it go.

"Da X-Men are eatin' out on da lawn," Remy informed, steering her in the direction of the nearest exit.

Rogue didn't bother to ask how he knew. He always knew. She was beginning to wonder if he was a telepath as well as an exploder of objects. Neither of them spoke as they walked towards the exit, not even when Rogue stopped at the first vending machine they passed to buy a milk. It took only a moment and then they were on their way again, neither of them speaking.

By the time they had reached the vending machine, the number of students in the hall had already diminished by half as the student body headed for the cafeteria in order to get prime placement in the lunch line. Still, walking out the door into the bright sunshine of early fall and away from so many bodies in an enclosed space was a freeing feeling for Rogue. She resisted the urge to throw her arms in the air and twirl around, but she did take a deep breath, the first one she felt like she'd been able to take since the before school encounter with Principal Kelly. She'd kept herself reserved from most of her classmates even before they'd known about her mutant abilities. Now that they did know, and many of them had seen what she'd done to Carol Danvers on TV, and the rest had heard outrageously exaggerated stories, they tended to keep well abreast of her, as well. Unfortunately, there was only so much space in a high school hallway or classroom.

"Remy, Rogue, over here!" Jubilee was waving them over to a spot on the lawn where she was surrounded by the usual lunch crowd.

Remy returned her wave and smiled at Rogue as a way of urging her to quicken her pace as they moved to join their peers. The weather was still quite pleasant, even if autumn was setting in. More importantly, not as many students opted to sit outside as in the school cafeteria. No wonder they had opted for the school lawn rather then the lunchroom.

Neither Remy nor Rogue failed to notice the amount of space given to the mutant group by other groups of students wanting to enjoy the last warm days before the true New York autumn and winter set in, bringing cold winds and lots of precipitation. As they joined their friends and fellow mutants, however, they could also tell that the students from the Xavier Institute weren't going to let the actions of other ruin a perfectly beautiful sunny day. The students had arranged themselves in a small circle, and everyone present was making the attempt to laugh and smile and share funny stories to help make the pretense easier.

The mutants widened their circle to make room for Remy and Rogue and it was just as they were sitting down that Rogue realized somebody was, in fact, missing.

"Where's Jean?" It was Remy who had asked, but the question had been on Rogue's lips.

Everyone looked around at each other, shrugging or shaking their heads.

"Eating lunch with Duncan?" Kitty offered.

"I heard she was called to the principal's office," Amara added reluctantly, but no one else seemed to be able to deny or confirm the rumor.

Rogue decided, like she usually did when it came to the red head, that she didn't care. The brown paper bag made a crinkling noise as she unrolled the top and started pulling out her sandwich, sliced fruit, string cheese and something sweet for dessert. Everyone else took her cue and got back to eating their own lunch and becoming absorbed in their conversations.

Rogue munched quietly on her food and refrained from getting caught up in any of the conversations. She only half paid attention when Remy started chatting with Jubilee and Amara. She mostly just wanted to bask in the presence of people who didn't treat her like she carried the plague and enjoy a little relative silence. Though school days had never been exactly fun for Rogue, what with always having to be on the watch for accidental skin to skin contact with her fellow students, now that she and the rest of the Institute students had been exposed as mutants, it felt like she'd had to endure a hundred school days just that morning. Students were constantly inching away from her or outright jumping out of her way, afraid that she would do to them what she'd done to the woman in Magneto's address. Teachers who usually ignored her openly glared at her, or in the least kept casting nervous glances at her while trying to pretend that they weren't treating her any differently. On top of all that, Carol was up to her usually antics, pounding away at the protective barrier all morning that was keeping her quiet. It was still an improvement over her never-ending derogatory comments and mental attacks, but the constant mental whacking was no less headache inducing, it merely took a little longer.

Rogue didn't complain though. She didn't let her temper flare up like she usually would have, snapping at the smallest perceived annoyance. She knew everyone else's morning had to have been as bad as hers, even if they didn't have a second persona battering at them from inside their brain. Rogue just wanted a few moments to find some tranquility and not worry so much about her surroundings. She wanted to be able to let her guard down just a little, and surrounded by the familiar, friendly, sympathetic faces from the institute helped her do just that. Even if she didn't jump in to participate herself, even if much of the laughter sounded forced and faked, it was still good to hear her stressed peers laughing and joking with each other. It was good to hear Kitty gushing about the latest gossip to Remy and the girls as if the latest gossip wasn't about the students about Bayville who had turned out to be mutants. Without realizing it, listening to the familiar, calming sounds, Rogue did let her guard down a little. And without realizing it, she also let her head drop down to rest on Remy's shoulder.

And Remy, being the smart Cajun that he was, pretended that he didn't notice, even though he glanced at her once, to see her striped locks falling down his chest. And when he turned his attention to Amara and Jubilee, they giggled and shared a glance before all three started up the conversation they'd previously been engaged in.

Rogue had just finished the last bite of her sandwich when a loud voice disrupted the tranquility she'd managed to find for herself among her friends. Annoyed, because she recognized the voice and found no need for the owner to be so irate, Rogue lifted her head off Remy's shoulder (still without realizing she'd been letting it rest their) and turned an annoyed gaze to Jean Grey who was stalking up to the group of mutants with Duncan trailing, apparently trying to calm the irate red head down.

Any vows from before about her fellow mutants being just as stressed as she was and not getting snappy with them were off. Rogue had been relatively calm, but that was shattered by the shrieking Jean.

"How dare he," she cried, her crimson mane flying behind her. "I would never, EVER-"

"Jean, baby, I know that. Principal Kelly was an _idiot_ to accuse you of those things!" Duncan responded from behind her.

So, the rumor was true. The circled mutants were beginning to pass looks between them again as each and every one of them turned their bodies and their attentions to Jean and Duncan. Kitty and Rogue also took a quick check to make sure that Jean's raging anger wasn't also causing her telekinesis to range out of control as sometimes happened when the telepath's emotions become especially passionate. So far, nothing was floating that shouldn't have been.

"What did Principal Kelly accuse you of?" Kitty was the one bold enough to ask.

Jean opened her mouth to answer, but closed again, apparently too angry to speak. She turned to Duncan, her face signaling that he should speak for her. He told the story as he put an arm around her shoulders and gave her a squeeze.

"Principal Kelly accused Jean of cheating, both in her classes and on the soccer field."

"He stripped me of all my academic accomplishments, and my soccer awards. He assured me that I was no longer in the running for valedictorian and even told me that I was off the soccer team!"

Even angry or upset, it was very unusual to cry. She preferred channeling her emotions into finding a solution to her problems. However, as moisture gathered along the rim of her eyes, Jean turned her head into Duncan's shoulder and stood motionlessly with her face hidden as he hugged her with both arms, stroking her hair comfortingly.

There was no response from the small group still sitting on the lawn, unless shocked and bewildered expressions counted as responses. Even Rogue had forgotten her annoyance at Jean's initial outburst. Slowly the five mutants shook themselves from their stunned looks, but none had anything to say in the way of words of comfort for their distressed friend.

"It's not fair," Jean's voice came muffled and small from the vicinity of Duncan's shoulder.

Silently, everyone agreed.

_Author's Notes: I figured I'd try these at the end and see how I like it. First of all, I realize that it has been over two years since my last update and I sincerely apologize for that. This is not my only fanfic that's been ignored, because, truthfully, all of my fanfic have been ignored (I kinda had a lot going on). And since I realize that most of my readers probably don't remember what happened in the previous 19 chapters and 3 prologues, I hope that this little update isn't too confusing. I tried to infuse as much Rogue/Remy HRness as I could. I really wanted to do more, but the plot just wouldn't allow it!_

_Anyways, I'm not promising to return to regular updates, but it felt like I hadn't written in so long-because I hadn't-that I just needed to sit down and write and get SOMETHING out. This is what I came up with. I had to do a little re-familiarizing myself with my own story and the X-Men: Evolution series, and I don't really feel like it's my best work. Still, I can't complain about writing something (though you guys can and I certainly don't blame you), but maybe it'll get the writing juices flowing again, and in present free time, perhaps I can devote more of it to writing fanfiction in general, if not House of the Rising Sun fanfiction specifically._

_As far as the chapter itself, I do think it furthers the plot some, though I really feel too out of touch with this story to really get back into everything I had woven in, and dagnabbit if I don't like to write a complicated plot! Some new complications arise, which is always good. The more the conflict and complications in a story, the better! Please excuse for borrowing a plot device from the actual series, but it worked so perfectly, and I AM trying to make it my own, at least a little!_

_So, I offer you this. I hope you enjoyed it. I hope it made sense. I hope there was enough Remy/Rogue fluff to satisfy you. And I mostly hope that I can keep writing and posting! Or at least writing! I really can't think of anything else to say and I want to get to bed! Good night and, once more, please forgive me!!!_


	24. Here comes the next contestant

Title: _The House of the Rising Sun_, Chapter 21

Author: Goddess Evie

Date: 07/24/09

Genre: Romance (Remy/Rogue, Scott/Jean, Lance/Kitty), Action, Drama, Angst, AU, heck, it's got it all…just not all in one chapter.

Rating: G, and I really don't think this'll get above PG.

Disclaimer: I do NOT own X-Men of any incarnation. I am but a poor, fanatical, poor, English teacher who much enjoys a show so that she writes extensive (and hopefully intriguing, enjoyable, and highly popular) fanfiction to feed her insatiable hunger for anything X-Men and is poor, if I haven't mentioned that already. Also, the song lyric I used as the title doesn't belong to me either. I'm quoting Nickelback's "Next Contestant". But, sadly, I own nothing but the plot so don't sue me cause I need all my money for my bills!

Summary: Scott just has a bad day…

Chapter 21: _Here comes the next contestant…_

Scott arrived home after dropping off his teammates at Bayville High School to a quiet mansion. Jamie was taking his lessons with Hank, Ororo had another long day with the US congressmen, and it seemed that Professor Xavier was meeting with Brad. Scott found the silence more disquieting than relaxing. Admittedly, he found himself a little at a loss as to what to do with himself. He was used to a mansion full of mutants, and usually somebody wanting his attention. To find himself completely alone with nobody asking anything of him left Scott standing all by himself in the middle of the mansion's foyer unsure of what to do with all his free time.

Scott debated his options. He could watch whatever he wanted on TV in one of the rec rooms without anybody else whining about his choice of program. He could read without constantly being disturbed. The pool would be completely unoccupied, and it was still just warm enough outside that he could do laps and not have anyone splashing him or hitting him with a beach ball or any other swimming paraphernalia. A walk around the grounds to reacquaint himself with his home sounded nice, as well. Or maybe he would just shoot some pool all by himself. He had to make sure he stayed ahead of Kurt and Evan. He'd never live it down if they beat him the next time they challenged him to a game.

Just as Scott was beginning to realize what an advantage having the mansion all to himself until 3:30 was and to seriously consider the use of his time, Logan appeared and ruined any chance of having any down time.

"Took ya long enough to get back," Logan growled.

"Uh, there was a small incident with Principal Kelly," Scott informed, watching Logan warily.

Logan narrowed his eyes at the mention of Bayville High's principal. Although he hadn't been part of the talks concerning the Institute students' right to attend school, he'd heard enough about how vehemently Principal Kelly had fought to keep them out. Scott knew the menacing look from Logan was for Kelly, not himself, and decided it was definitely a good idea Logan hadn't been involved in trying to get the mutants back into public school.

Logan's look lasted only a moment, and then he refocused his eyes on Scott. "Suit up and meet me in the Danger Room in ten minutes."

Logan didn't stick around long enough to see Scott's face fall. Nor did Scott hesitate to follow orders. His carefree day had disappeared and it didn't matter to Logan that Scott had already had a training session in the Danger Room early that morning with the rest of the X-Men. Turning to the stairs and jogging up them two at a time, Scott wasted no time changing into clothes more suitable for the Danger Room and then heading directly to the sub levels of the mansion. Logan may have said ten, but Scott knew he meant five.

Logan worked Scott all morning. Exercise after exercise, drill after drill. Obstacles courses to test how well he'd retained, while he'd been away to college, the skills he'd learned as an X-Man. Scenarios to build his leadership abilities, since he'd be assuming his place as leader of the X-Men, complete with holographic replicas of the X-men: ShadowKat, Nightcrawler, Rogue, Jean, Spyke and even Gambit. Sometimes Logan added in one or two of the younger mutants, just to see how he could cope.

Scott gave his all in every task Logan set him at. Even towards the end of the four hours when all he wanted to do was collapse from exhaustion and be carried to the med bay and Dr. McCoy, Scott kept going. Call it pride. Call it stubbornness. Call it needing to prove to Logan that he could take whatever the animal threw at him. He pushed himself to the very end, when Logan finally entered through the bay doors and told Scott he was done for the day, until the rest of the team returned from the school and he would join them in another training session that afternoon. As per Logan's usual demeanor, no encouragement was given, no praise doled out. Scott found himself smiling all the same, to have endured four hours in the Danger Room with Logan at the controls and not once asking for a break.

Scott wasn't sure what he wanted more as he leaned against the wall of the elevator, headed to the ground levels: to shower, sleep, or eat. However, once the door opened, Scott could hear voices coming from the kitchen, so he headed in that direction. He found Hank and Jamie making lunch, apparently for everyone in the mansion. Jamie spotted Scott in the doorway and excitedly pulled him into the kitchen. Scott fell into a chair at the small table, but Jamie didn't seem to mind. He went back to spreading slices of bread with something that Scott couldn't quite make out, but with Hank supervising, Scott wasn't too worried.

"What've you been up to this morning? You disappeared quite effectively," Hank commented as he sliced fruit.

"Logan's had me in the Danger Room since I got back from dropping everyone off at school," Scott replied, running his hands through his hair.

Hank smiled to himself. "I suppose that's Logan's way of saying 'Welcome home'."

Scott groaned. "I sure hope not. Did Rogue get the same treatment?"

"Maybe not for quite as long…"

"That's because Logan likes Rogue better than me," Scott commented.

Hank chuckled. "Those two have a lot in common."

At that point, Brad and Professor Xavier entered the kitchen, as well, and Jamie began passing out the sandwiches. Hank brought the sliced fruit to the table on a large plate as well as a couple of pitchers, one of milk, the other of ice water. Everyone gathered around the table, with the small group it was just the right size, and began to eat, even Professor Xavier. To some mutants, seeing Charles Xavier eating peanut butter and jelly might have been a bizarre sight, but Scott, having been the first student brought to the mansion, remembered when these smaller, more intimate meals had been the norm. He missed them, and having the chance to be a part of one again brought a sweet, nostalgic smile to his lips.

Professor Xavier immediately started a conversation with both Scott and Brad about continuing their college education. Of course it would be impossible for them to return to any college campus, but Xavier and McCoy were both certified and capable of teaching college level courses, and even Ororo would be able to instruct them in certain courses. Hank was just starting to get a profile of what the young men were interested in when Logan entered. He took a sniff in the direction of the table and then headed straight for the fridge.

Scott watched as Brad studied Logan from the corner of his eyes. He realized that it was the first time Brad had even seen Logan. The thought must have occurred to Professor Xavier, as well, because when Logan turned away from the refrigerator soda in hand (Jamie was present), Xavier took a moment to introduce the two. Logan grunted, focusing more on uncapping the soda with one extended claw that made Brad's eyes all but bug out, and the young man responded with a timid wave.

Sipping on his soda, Logan turned to the television mounted in the corner of the kitchen, the same one he had witnessed Magneto's address on with Remy and Rogue, and turned it on. Showing some consideration for the rest of the people, he kept the volume down low, which, with his enhanced hearing, wasn't a problem at all. Once his attention was tuned to the TV set, Hank and Xavier reinitiated their college conversation with Scott and Brad.

Jamie disappeared sometime during the conversation, having finished his lunch and being bored with talk of classes and courses of study. Brad and Scott worked out the basics of their semester work based on what they had started studying at college and what degrees they were interested in attaining. Logan was still watching the television, though with a grim expression. A glance at the screen showed he was keeping an eye on Ororo's progress at the capital. Scott had had enough of that for a while. Unless there was something new to report, he didn't want to hear the same arguments thrown back and forth.

Finally, Professor Xavier excused himself to return to other important matters that needed his attention and Hank supposed that he needed to find Jamie and get in some more lessons with him before the rest of the mutants returned from school. Xavier pointed Hank in the right direction as they exited the kitchen, and then they were gone.

That left Scott and Brad with Logan, who was resolutely ignoring them for the news on the television. Scott decided that it was too early for Brad to get a full taste of the Wolverine, and hurried him out of the kitchen and into the halls of the mansion. To be honest, Brad was looking just a little overwhelmed after spending already less than a day at Xavier's Institute for Gifted Children. To be even more honest, Scott was glad. He couldn't help wishing that Brad would go back to college while he could still pass as a normal human.

"How did your talk with the Professor go?" Scott asked as a way of starting the conversation.

Brad shrugged, "It went okay."

"Did you call your parents?"

Brad shook his head. "Professor Xavier wanted me to, but I don't think I'm ready to tell them, yet."

Scott took this as a good sign, and at the same time felt bad. Brad had to be scared, now that mutants had been exposed. Though his face hadn't been plastered on international television, he had to be thinking about the day that his mutant status would be revealed to the public, as well. Scott still didn't understand why that had made him so eager to give up his old life and come to the mansion.

As he was about to ask his next question and continue the conversation, Scott heard Xavier's voice in his head. _May I eavesdrop?_ Scott wasn't sure why the Professor would be interested in this conversation between friends, but he gave his consent and then spoke once more to Brad.

"Are you still thinking about staying here?"

Brad took a while to answer that question. He studied the halls of the mansion around them, the artwork and decorations created both professionally and by the denizens of Xavier's school, the rooms revealed by open doors as they walked past, the flowers and plants that Ororo made her own special chore to keep alive and well groomed, even the grounds of the mansion visible through the windows streaming with the early afternoon sun. Scott watched his friend as he thought seriously about this question. The question he had answered so surely back in Scott's dorm room.

When Brad finally turned to look at Scott and give his reply, it wasn't with a definite yes or no, but with a question of his own. "Why do you think I should go back to college?"

The question caught Scott off guard. He heard genuine interest in his answer in Brad's voice, but also a hint of accusation and quivering of betrayal. Scott rubbed his forehead than ran his hand through his hair as he now took the time to think about the answer.

"Look, Brad, the mansion is a great place, and I think that if you really want to stay, then there'd be no better place to learn about your powers and really come to understand what it means to be a mutant," Scott began.

"But…?"

"But you can still live a normal life. Nobody knows you're a mutant, yet. You could still get a college education, walk around in public without people judging you from what they saw on a TV screen, enjoy spending time with all of your friends and family.

"I envy you that, Brad. I love being home, and this is my home and these people are my family, but I wish I could be back at college going to classes and studying late into the night and even being harassed by Andrew!"

"But you have this sanctuary to come to, " Brad immediately shot back. "You have a place to escape to when you're weighed down with the hate of the world and you need to get away from being looked down on and people being afraid of you for no good reason!"

Scott smiled. "And now, you do, too. Xavier would never turn down a mutant, Brad. You could come back any time you wanted and be welcomed here and accepted here. But you can also go out into the world, right now, and keep living your life like nothing happened."

"That's where you're wrong, Scott. I can't ignore what happened. I can't just act like mutants aren't public knowledge, now. People may not know that I'm a mutant, but they know mutants exist and I can't just forget about that, Scott."

Brad stalked off, leaving Scott to watch him go, unsure of how the conversation had ended so badly. He sighed as he watched his friend turn a corner at the end of hall and disappear from sight. Upsetting Brad had never been his intention, but somehow he'd managed to do just that.

_That didn't go so well_, Scott thought glumly, knowing that Xavier was still tuned in.

_Don't be so hard on yourself, Scott. You answered his question truthfully. Sometimes the truth is hard to accept, nor is this an easy decision for Brad to make._

Scott nodded at his mentor's words, but he couldn't shake the guilty feeling at the way things had ended with his conversation with Brad. Any hopes of a relaxing afternoon were gone. Scott found himself wandering the mansion trying to find something to take his mind off his friend and failing. He only flipped through channels when he turned on a TV, found nothing interesting to read in the vast library that the mansion contained, couldn't concentrate enough on his shots to make practicing billiards helpful, and when he thought that perhaps he could assist McCoy in tutoring Jamie, he decided what they were working wasn't anything he could add any insight to and sneaked away before either of them realized he'd even been there.

To be brief, the rest of his afternoon was ruined, and Scott actually found himself looking forward to when the rest of the students returned home and he'd have another Danger Room session with the team. Something to help take his mind off of Brad for a little while, and his friends always knew how to cheer him up.

Unfortunately, their arrival home wasn't to be the uplifting experience Scott was hoping for. Although he knew their first day back was probably going to prove more problematic than anything, Scott or any of the instructors at the Institute weren't expecting the uproar that came pouring into the mansion that heralded the students return. Scott had purposely set himself in the rec room nearest the door between the garage and the mansion so that he would know the moment they got home. With the raucous they made as they charged in from the garage, their school day must have gone much worse than expected-and Scott decided he could have heard them from the other side of the mansion, no problem.

They were all speaking on top of each other, and all Scott could make out was, "That's just not fair!" and, "You don't deserve to be treated that way!" and, "You earned those awards fair and square!" He intercepted their progression through the mansion at the door of the rec room he'd been occupying. The very first thing he noticed was Jean, tears streaming down her cheeks, as Kitty led her down the hall. Scott stepped out to block their way, and Kitty, seeing him immediately, stepped aside without any word to allow Scott to take her place.

Immediately he pulled Jean close, stroking her red hair gently and making soothing noises. In the moment that he performed that action, the rest of the mutants quieted, even the younger mutants. Jean put her arms around Scott in response and hugged tight, sobbing into his shoulder. Scott looked around the now quiet mutants, and in a soft voice asked, "What happened? Why is Jean crying?"

Everyone looked at each other, as if to say, "You tell him," but nobody seemed willing to speak up. Scott continued to watch them as he comforted his best friend, Jean Grey, the girl of his dreams. Every sob cut him to the core, and he felt her pain as his own, even if he didn't know the source. He wasn't going to wait very much longer to find out.

"Somebody better tell me what's going on," Scott demanded a little more harshly this time, and now he started to see the faces of his and Jean's friends turn away.

"Scott," it was Jean's voice who answered him, and he looked to see her tear-stained face looking up at him, her blue eyes still glistening with tears, her bottom lip quivering with the threat of more crying. She sniffled and he could see her trying to compose herself. "It's not their fault."

Scott relaxed a bit, and shot an apologetic gaze at his friends.

"It was Principal Kelly," Kitty was finally the one who told. "He, like, took away all her academic awards and soccer trophies, and even, like, told her she was no longer valedictorian or on the soccer team."

Scott's eyes got wider with every word Kitty spoke, and he heard Jean sigh heavily as the brunette finished. Scott gave Jean another warm hug, and held her for just a moment. Then he loosened his grip and turned, keeping an arm around Jean's shoulders.

"Come on. Let's go talk to the Professor," he said with determination.

He urged Jean along side him as he headed towards Xavier's office. Beside him, Jean started wiping at her face, trying to clean up the evidence of her breakdown. Behind them, the rest of the mutants followed, silently offering their moral support.

_Thanks, Scott. It's good to know I can always count on you_, he heard in his head.

Scott smiled and thought back. _Hey, I know you're not a cheater, and so does everyone else here, and we're the only ones who count_.

Jean laid her head on Scott's shoulder for a moment and he gave her shoulders a squeeze. He'd missed having little telepathic conversations like that. The distance while he'd been at college had been too far, and it was a comfort, now that he was back, to be able to share that with her again. He hoped she felt the same way.

The group had only made it about halfway to Xavier's office when they were intercepted by both Logan and Ororo. Logan immediately began a tirade over how the core members of the X-Men should already have been in uniform down in the Danger Room for training, but Ororo hushed him with a simple touch on his arm. Having noticed the remnants of Jean's tears on her cheeks, Ororo immediately moved to stand in front of Jean and Scott.

"Are you okay, Jean?" her voice was regal and compassionate all at once.

Once again the story was explained, this time by Jean herself, for once. She managed to make it through without crying, though there were a couple of times that Scott thought she was going to break down. Ororo listened sympathetically, and then agreed with Scott when he explained that they were heading to discuss the issue with Xavier. Logan, however, still standing where Ororo had left him with his arms crossed over his chest, was less sympathetic.

"Ororo, go ahead and take Jean to see Charles, but the rest of you need to be dressed and waiting for me in the Danger Room five minutes ago."

The X-Men looked at Ororo for help, pleading with their eyes for her to intervene. She shook her head at them as she steered Jean away from the group, her signal that she would support Logan on this decision. Everyone wished Jean good luck before they turned and headed to the elevator that would take them to the sublevels of the mansion. Scott was quiet the whole way there, his mind on Jean, though he still caught the mumbling of his teammates as they continued to grumble about Principal Kelly's unfair treatment of Jean. Only Rogue and Remy were silent, standing next to each other opposite Scott.

The elevator silently opened to release the X-Men into the sublevels of the mansion. When they practiced as a team, they always wore their uniforms, and they split off to the locker rooms to change. Within a few minutes they had reconvened in the Danger Room, everyone looking up at the control room window as they awaited Logan's instructions.

Logan wasn't one for waiting, or playing games, thankfully, and he started barking their instructions the moment everyone had gathered. The metal lined room disappeared behind the holograms of Logan's training program for the day and the team immediately looked to Cyclops for instructions. Quickly he assessed the situation and then began divvying out orders.

All was going well, their goal almost achieved, when suddenly Cyclops realized that Gambit wasn't where he was supposed to be. He began to reach out with his mind for Jean, asking her to locate the errant X-Man, when he suddenly remembered that she wasn't present. With a growl to himself, he gave the order for the rest of the team to continue with the plan and proceed to the goal.

Even without Gambit, the fight was going fairly well. They weren't losing entirely. They also weren't winning, however. The enemies Logan had dreamed up for them were a little more of a challenge than Scott had planned on, but then that was probably only because Gambit had gone AWOL. If he'd been where he was supposed to be and done what he was supposed to do, maybe they could be done with this training session.

Unfortunately, the fight was turning out to be pretty even. Scott was quickly trying to reassess the situation and hash out a new plan. Nobody was making any headway to the target-a mysterious black briefcase of which the contents were unknown, but vitally important, according to Logan. Scott knocked his own opponent back and took the opportunity to look around. Automatically he looked to where the briefcase was sitting before he turned back to his rushing opponent, only to realize, as he shot the projectiles blasted at him by the holographic mutant, that the briefcase had disappeared.

None of the X-Men had grabbed it. They'd all still been fighting their opponents when he'd looked around. So where had it-

"I got what we came for. Let's get outta here, mes amis!" Gambit suddenly cried from the only exit.

Before Cyclops could affirm or reject Gambit's call, the rest of the X-Men had disengaged from their respective fights and followed their newest teammate away from the fight, complete with a "Right on, man!" from Spyke. Cyclops sighed to himself and followed them, keeping an eye behind him to see how their enemies would react. He couldn't imagine they were just going to let them get away with whatever they had been guarding so loyally, even if they were just holograms.

That was why he wasn't surprised when they did attack from behind. Cyclops yelled out for help as he spun and began firing optic blasts to keep the baddies at bay until his teammates could catch up. Fighting in such a cramped space was not a good idea, and Scott would have preferred to defeat these guys back where they had more room to fight. But since he didn't have a choice, he'd have to adapt to the situation at hand and hope everything came out okay.

Cyclops had only just began shouting orders when he suddenly heard ShadowKat loudly complain, "Careful, Evan, I'm not looking to get any plastic surgery done!" and then Rogue's angry voice cry out, "Kurt, don't teleport raght in front o'me! I can't see OR breathe!" and from there everything melted into chaos until the holograms faded and the group was left standing in the bare bones of the Danger Room again.

"Aw man, we failed. Logan's not going to be happy," Evan groaned.

"Well maybe if you'd, like, be more careful where you shot those things. You're supposed to, like, aim them at the enemy!" Kitty complained to Evan. That started the bickering again, but Scott ignored it.

"Perhaps if everyone had followed orders we could have avoided the whole mess and got out safe and sound with our objective," Scott bellowed above them, his gaze fixed on Remy who was the only person not involved in the blame game.

He lazily turned to look at Scott, eyeing him up and down for a moment before replying. "I learned a long time ago that sometimes yo' gotta follow yo' instincts, homme."

"No. You gotta follow _my _instincts," Scott shot back. "That's why I'm the leader."

"Is dat why? I t'ought it was jus' cause you were da oldest," Remy taunted, a grin spreading across his face and his red-black eyes glinting eagerly.

Scott was about to reply when Logan stepped in and ordered both of them to back down. It was then that he'd realized he and Remy had been stepping towards each other, and he backed up a couple of steps, but only a couple. Remy stood where he was.

"We would have succeeded with your mission if Remy had followed orders," Scott accused.

"Or perhaps it's time you got used to not everyone following everything you say all the time," Logan replied. "And show a little trust in your teammates and their judgments."

"I-" Scott began, but then shut up again, knowing it was useless arguing with Logan. He shot an especially nasty glare Remy's way, who was grinning like the weasel he was. It was too bad his visor hid it.

"And you," Logan turned on Remy, who lost his smug expression for a more surprised one, "need to be more careful of your teammates. Achieving the objective isn't the only goal. You have to think of the safety of your teammates, as well."

"I t'ought da safest t'ing would be to get da briefcase and get out," Remy argued back. He was apparently still too new to know that arguments didn't work with Logan.

"The safest thing, Cajun, would have been to not let your teammates go into a fight they couldn't win without your help," Logan sneered back and now he and Remy were beginning to step up to each other.

Remy opened his mouth to respond, but this time Logan cut him off. "Discussion over. Everyone hit the showers."

Scott followed the rest of the X-Men as they headed back towards the locker rooms. Remy stood where he was for a minute, but then backed down and with a scowl joined everyone else. The only one left behind was Rogue, who was still serving her punishment of extra Danger Room sessions with Logan. She didn't look at Remy or Scott as they passed by her, even though Remy was throwing her looks over his shoulder. She didn't look at any of her teammates. She merely looked at Logan, watching him boredly as she waited to start her own private training session.

Author's note: To be honest, I'd started this chapter soon after posting the last one, but I wasn't sure how I wanted to end it so I took a break to mull it over. I didn't get back to it before I took a month long trip to visit friends and family in Montana, but since so many wonderful nice people had been adding this story to their favorite list, I decided to make myself get it out and finish it, and I quite like how the ending came out. I hope you all enjoyed!


End file.
